Grey Matter – Silver Lining
by Atlantic Jewel
Summary: At the same time as Megatron reawakens, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and isn't saying she knows them from a cartoon! But when the All-Spark shatters, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war. PxOCxJxSS BBxS OPxE1xSP Other Pairings.
1. Prologue

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter – Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level coarse language

. Low level animated violence

. Adult themes

. Implied drug-use.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

Prologue

A young woman stood on the station platform alone, wearing a backpack and listening to music through her MP3 Player. Every so often, she would check her watch.

She couldn't afford to be late. After all, today was a very important day. Today, she would finally be handing in all of her assignments, and hopefully they would all be okay. They had _better_ be okay. She had practically pulled an all-nighter just to get them finished, going to bed only in the small hours of the morning right before she had to get up an hour later. It was the tiredest she could ever remember feeling, and not even the coffee could save her now.

Her name was Emma Paradiso, and she was the tiredest twenty-one (nearly twenty-two) year old art student south side of the Swan River, Western Australia, the cloudy Friday morning her life truly began. If anybody had been looking at the young woman dressed all in black, then they wouldn't have guessed that she was destined to have a great adventure, one that would begin momentarily and that would change her forever. She was a small woman, short and petite, with shoulder-length dark brown hair dyed a dark red, and hazel eyes that had dark circles under them. She yawned occasionally, and shifted from one foot to the other. Where on earth was her train?

The song on her MP3 Player finished, and Bachelor Girl began to sing _Buses And Trains_. Perhaps it was ironic (take that, Alanis) but maybe it was all part of a greater plan?

Emma heard the train approaching, and looked to her left expectantly, to see the familiar white and green train coming around the bend in the tracks. She couldn't help but smile – she was, after all, a hopeless train-spotter.

The driver of the train looked at the girl standing on the platform as the train glided towards her. He had already applied the brakes, and it would take the train its usual fifteen seconds to stop completely, so the driver could do nothing about what happened next.

A figure seemed to appear out of nowhere behind the girl, and it was the strangest-looking human being the train driver had ever seen. In fact, the train driver wasn't even sure that it _was_ a human-being – it had looked more like a robot, really…

A black, _evil_-looking robot…

One that had placed both its hands…err, claw-thingies, on the girl's back, and pushed her, really hard.

The train driver yelled out as the girl fell into the path of the oncoming train and, more than anything right then and there, the driver wished that he could swerve, or go in reverse, or _something_…

Something that would stop him from killing that poor, innocent girl.

In fact, he was so busy grieving about this as the train's brakes screeched on the tracks, that he didn't even notice the blue light that appeared where the girl had vanished, and he didn't know that it swallowed her up long before the train ever hit that spot on the tracks.

But, it didn't matter one way or the other because, as the driver looked up again, the creature that had pushed the girl appeared clinging to the wind-screen, and the driver couldn't help but scream.

The thing was something straight out of a nightmare, a human-sized robotic organism with huge claws, black leathery wings and piercing red eyes. It opened its beak, which was filled with razor-sharp fangs, and screeched a terrible sound, one that was worse than any nails on any blackboards could _ever_ be. It then drew its arm back, before punching it straight through the train's wind-screen, its claws killing the train driver instantly as they pierced through his head, slamming the corpse up against the door to the cabin as the train finally slowed to a stop.

As the red blood stained the white door incarnadine, the thing retracted its hand, as the dead driver slumped to the carpeted floor of the train. The thing licked the blood clean from its claws, before spreading its wings and taking flight, disappearing into the shadows on a nearby wall…

And, somewhere, Emma Paradiso was falling, through time and space, unconscious to everything except her own thoughts…

* * *

_Two years ago…_

_"Do you know __why__ you didn't get that job?" Leonie "Lee" Paradiso asked her youngest daughter, arms folded across her chest._

_"Why?" Emma's hands were on her hips, and she was glaring right on back at her Mother. Though they didn't look a thing alike (Lee was a larger woman, with olive skin, platinum blonde hair and dog-brown eyes), their glares were mirror-images, as were the tones of their voices. Emma's, however, threatened to go high-pitched, which had earned her the nickname "mouse" within her family. "Is it because I didn't study my questions? Yeah, I know, Dad keeps saying…"_

_"No!" Lee interrupted her, and a spark of annoyance flashed through Emma's eyes. "It's because of __this__!" She swept her arm across, motioning to Emma's room. It was messy, with clothes slung across a desk-chair and books stacked messily against the bookcase, which could not accommodate them any longer due to the large number of Transformers action figures that were there. "How can you expect people to employ you if you continue to act like a little child? If you do that, then people will treat you like a kid!"_

_"That's what you and Dad keep saying, but you're __wrong__!" Emma exclaimed, trying to keep her temper. She was usually pretty good at it, unless she was upset. She'd been trying to get a job for months, and it just wasn't working out for her. If only she hadn't messed up on her TAFE course last year, then none of this would be happening. If she hadn't failed her parents and lost their respect…if she hadn't been on that medication…if she wasn't so worthless…_

_"You need to spend more time learning about the world, instead of watching these fucking cartoons and wasting your time drawing pictures!" Lee yelled._

_Emma bristled, and shut off, the way any young person will when their parent speaks to them this way. It was a mark of the amount of respect Emma had for people that, despite living a very messy and disorganized life with next to no social skills and a habit of daydreaming all the time, she would never use certain words or insult people the way she was used to being spoken to. Her parents were just concerned about her life but, at the time, this wasn't making any sense to her._

_Lee pushed past Emma then, and grabbed a pile of artwork off the floor, along with a Transformers action figure (Blackarchnia). "What __is__ this shit, and why is it on the floor?!" Lee didn't understand how Emma could live in this way – didn't she realise that it was nearly snake season?_

_"Hey!" Emma yelled, lunging for the precious items, and managing to grab Blackarchnia. "Give them back, they're mine! You have no right…"_

_"This is my house, and I say that if things are on the floor, then I do __this__ to them!" Lee shouted and, with that, she began to rip up the pictures, all of the painstakingly detailed drawings of characters like Prowl; Bulbasaur; Sanji and Sailor Mercury. "This. Won't. Get. You. A. Job." Lee snarled with each rip, as the first-ever picture of Prowl in his alt-mode that Emma had ever drawn was destroyed forever._

_Emma watched in horror, before turning and running, her feet carrying her down the hallway at a pace she'd never have been able to run at if she wasn't upset. She clutched Blackarchnia to her chest, and didn't stop running until she reached the shed out the back of the five acre bushland property. There, she collapsed into the seat of the ride-on-lawnmower. Leaning her head over the steering wheel, so that her then-brown hair covered her face, Emma Paradiso began to sob…_

* * *

In the present time, that same girl almost smiled. _What a fool I was but…Mum…you were wrong, too…_


	2. Intersection

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER TWO

Intersection

* * *

Sari Sumdac sighed. She twisted her hands, and glanced to her right at the passenger seat, where the shattered remains of her Tutor-Bot were still smoldering.

Her dad was going to _kill_ her. Not that it had been on purpose, or Tutor-Bot couldn't be fixed, but this left Sari without a tutor and, if there was on thing her Dad was fussy about, it was her studies.

Sari didn't understand why. She was an eight-year-old girl, and wished to be treated as such. True, she hung out with five alien robots everyday, making her not such a normal little girl, and then there was an impending robot war that nobody wanted to think about. Still, she was basically a normal little girl, and so didn't know why she _had_ to know about quantum physics. Well, not really, but close enough...

To top it all off, one of her robot friends had also damaged three of Professor Isaac Sumdac's non-sentient robot dinosaurs. Sari knew her Father would probably end up blaming himself for not building them adequately, and that meant that he would most definitely pull another all-nighter (or five) to try and fix them (the robotic dinosaurs) perfectly.

Sari sighed again, and this time her "chauffeur" heard her. Chauffeur probably wasn't the right term for him - more like big alien robot that transformed into an armored truck and was one of Sari's very best friend. His name was Bulkhead, and he was an Autobot (the good side of the transforming robots called Transformers, as opposed to the evil Decepticons) from the planet Cybertron. He had also been the one that accidentally caused the destruction of Tutor-Bot and the three dinosaur robots.

"Aww, Sari, I'm sorry..." Bulkhead began, but the little red-haired, dark-skinned girl cut him off.

"Bulkhead, _stop_!" She fairly screeched, and Bulkhead complied, slamming on the brakes and causing Sari to jolt forwards - only her seatbelt saved her from head-butting the dashboard.

"Okaaaay, bad idea..." Sari cringed. "But, look - my key's acting up!"

And, indeed it was. They key was something Sari kept with her at all times, a big grey technological-looking key that she wore around her neck. What was so special about it was that it had once been a key card, but a super-charge from the All-Spark (the most powerful artifact known to the Transformers) had changed it into a key that Sari could use to heal her Autobot friends if they were ever in need of it. It also tended to pick up on strange things and bring inanimate objects to life/give them new abilities, and Sari had been known to misuse its power more than once.

Now, it was glowing in its bright blue colour, that alerted Sari and Bulkhead to the fact that _something_ was about to happen.

They were sitting at the intersection of Regal Drive; Chivalry Way; Voyager Drive and Expedition Drive (all of them named by a history buff), and the time of day could only be described as twilight - the orangey late sunset had vanished, to be replaced by a soft lilac and dark blue. Stars had started to make some sort of appearance in the sky, but none of them could measure up to the blue ball of light that had appeared in the sky, directly over the intersection named dramatically.

"Whoa..." Said Sari, already throwing open the door and jumping out onto the road.

As soon as she did, the light in the sky seemed to implode, and moved into the figure that now hung suspended in the sky, all condensed into a tiny ball of light at the figure's chest.

"Whoa..." Sari said again, the blue light from this ball and her own key reflected in her maroon eyes. Then: "Quick Bulkhead, catch her!" Sari gasped, as whatever unknown force had been holding the person - Sari was convinced it was a she - in place suddenly failed, and the figure dropped.

Bulkhead transformed swiftly and rushed forwards. "I got her!" He cried, stumbling and tripping, but he managed to catch the girl in his huge three-digit servo, which was the only part of him that stayed uncovered by the bricks on the wall that he crashed into, and which collapsed all around him. He groaned. "I got her." He declared.

"You did! Good catch!" Sari complimented him, scrambling towards the destroyed wall, and only vaguely hearing the police sirens in the background. No doubt drawn in by Bulkhead's latest catastrophe.

Bulkhead shook the bricks off him, and Sari climbed up on a pile of them to get a good look at the human that had fallen from the sky.

"Who _is_ she?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"And, where did she come from?" Sari put her hands on the side of Bulkhead's arm, and contemplated the girl lying in the big guy's palm. She looked older than Sari but not very big, maybe in her twenties, and was dressed all in black from head to foot, but not in a gothic or punk way. It was more of...a habit. A backpack was clutched to her chest and, on a whim, Sari decided to have a look inside it, ignoring all thoughts of invasion of privacy.

"Sari, what're you...?" Bulkhead was in a very awkward position, his feet still buried in bricks, and a very breakable-looking human girl cradled in one servo. She appeared to be in stasis or, as the humans called it, unconscious, but at least the blue light had disappeared from around her chest, along with the glowing of Sari's key. A small media player was on the girl's chest, one plug still in her ear.

"Hey, Bulkhead, check all _this_ out!" Sari's curiosity was sparked by the items in the young woman's backpack. These included: a sleek silver computer with an apple logo on it; a number of spiral-bound books about typography and pre-press design; about six hundred rechargeable batteries; a book called _Angel_; a mobile phone; a glasses case; a pencil case; and, for some reason, a water bottle full of something that Sari _hoped_ was coffee. Two little Japanese dolls swung from the backpack's straps.

It was the obvious reference materials and laptop computer that really had Sari interested, and her brilliant mind began formulating a plan very quickly so that, by the time Captain Fanzone of the police-force arrived, she already had an answer for everything, even the strangled: "What the...?!" That Fanzone managed to utter, stepping out of his car that was Bumblebee's non-sentient twin.

Sari waved to him. "Can you give us us a ride back to my Dad's?" She motioned to the unconscious girl and herself.

Fanzone stared at them for a moment, before muttering: "_This_ is I hate machines!"

* * *

Isaac Sumdac stepped out of Sumdac Tower to greet his daughter, Sari, and possibly one of her Autobot friends, only to discover that she was accompanied by the chief of police as well.

_Oh no,_ Isaac thought, his blood running cold. _I didn't think this would happen until she was at least sixteen!_

That was when he noticed that both his daughter and Fanzone were cradling something in their arms. He rushed towards them.

"Dad!" Sari held up the remains of Tutor-Bot. "We had an...accident..." She glanced behind her at the big green Bulkhead, whom cringed. "Tutor-Bot got destroyed...oh, but I found a new tutor..." She gestured to the girl in Fanzone's arms. "So, it's all good!"

Issac was speechless.

Fanzone decided to speak up. "Look, I dunno what happened, I just got a call from base saying something about a lot of light and a destroyed wall." He glanced at Sari and Bulkhead. "Somehow, I'm not surprised these two were involved."

Bulkhead wasn't the only one cringing by this stage.

Isaac stepped up to Fanzone and examined the girl. "So, this girl had something to do with it, then?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Dad!" Sari said quickly. "She just appeared in the sky, and then my key started acting weird and the All-Spark energy..."

"Okay, okay, enough about the whole machine and power thing!" Fanzone cut in. He sighed. "Look, we got the girl's wallet from her backpack, so we'll run some background checks on her and find out where she comes from. In the meantime, she'll need a place to stay..."

"Can she stay, Dad?!" Sari rushed forwards, and held out Tutor-Bot. "Until Tutor-Bot is repaired...umm, along with the dinosaur robots..." She admitted.

"What?!" Isaac cried.

"You should repair them first, and leave Tutor-Bot until later." Sari suggested, handing the remains of Tutor-Bot to her Father.

"Yes, Sari, but what about your studies?" Isaac asked her, taking the destroyed robot carefully from his daughter.

"Emma can do it!" Sari proclaimed, motioning to the girl whose name she had learnt from her driver's license, valid only the state of Western Australia. "She studies things like graphic design and, umm, pre-press and digital technology! You know, smart stuff!"

Isaac sighed, in a way that reminded Bulkhead of Sari. "Well, we shall see, Sari." He looked at his daughter, whom was obviously indirectly asking for a possible new friend, and Isaac had _always_ had trouble saying no to Sari. "Until then, I see no harm in letting her stay." He pressed a button on a little communications device he carried with him and, half a minute later, some little robots came out, wheeling a gurney.

Fanzone placed the young woman - Emma - onto the gurney, and handed Sari the backpack.

"Thank you for all your help, Captain Fanzone." Isaac said, giving his little red-haired daughter a Look. She smiled sheepishly.

Fanzone just rolled his eyes, and pocketed Emma's ID. "It wasn't any trouble but, you know," he walked back to the Bumblebee doppleganger. "This _is_ why I hate machines!"

"Well, that's just mean..." Bulkhead frowned as best his faceplates would let him.

"Yes, there is nothing wrong with machines." Isaac agreed, just as Tutor-Bot caught on fire. "Except for this one."

* * *

Later that night, the clumsy but gentle-giant Bulkhead returned to the Autobot's base, aka the power-plant that Sari had said they could stay in, since it belonged to her Dad and he didn't even know it.

He drove straight inside, and transformed, calling: "Hey, guys, guess what!"

The only sound that met his audio receptors was a dim silence. Bulkhead blinked his big blue optics, and looked around. "Umm, guys...guys?" He scratched his head.

"Prowl?" There was no response from the stoic cyber-ninja whom _always_ seemed to know what was going on,

"Ratchet?" The grumpy but secretly kind-sparked medical-bot was nowhere to be seen.

"Bumblebee?" Even the usually hyperactive and adrenaline-pumped Bumblebee seemed to have turned in early.

"Prime?" Bulkhead checked the room of their dedicated leader, Optimus Prime, and found him in a deep recharge.

Bulkhead sighed, his shoulder-plates sagging. "Isn't _anybody_ going to listen to my news? _Anybody_?"

The All-Spark down the hallway glowed in response.

Bulkhead just sighed again. "Except you..."


	3. Interaction

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

Interaction

* * *

Emma woke up slowly the next morning, having no idea what was going on or where she was. It was like the time she drank too much, and lay down for a couple of minutes. The next thing she'd known, it was morning. And, just like that trip through hang-over city, she was brought painfully back to reality by a dog barking.

This dog, however, wasn't her family pet Ranger, but a robotic dog with cream and blueish-purple colouring, and it looked like one of those old Robo-Pet things, the ones that came in cat and dog and bird...

It ran into the big blue and silver room that Emma awoke to find herself in, and jumped onto the big bed that she was lying in. It has holding a key in its mouth, and the key was glowing blue.

It tossed the key to Emma and barked happily, but she was too stunned to do anything, and just sat there staring at the glowing object. The beautifully furnished room didn't register with her, and neither did the dog and the key. She felt the familiar tightening in her chest, and clutched at the sheets of the bed with her hands. She was not a girl that liked change, and she was not one that could handle something like this without freaking out.

Emma closed her eyes carefully, and formed a triangle with her hands around her nose and mouth with the thumbs resting under her chin, the way she did when she was upset or thinking about something. Something very strange was going on, and she had no idea what it was. Her first instinct was, somehow, to call her Mother - now, where was her phone?

Emma opened her eyes, and found herself staring into the face of a little girl.

The girl blinked, and Emma gasped, before looking anywhere _but_ at the girl.

"You're awake!" The little girl chirped, in an oddly familiar voice. "I'm sorry if Sparkplug woke you up!" She pushed the little dog off the bed, and sat down in his place. "My name's Sari - Sari Sumdac!"

Emma just stared at her. _Sari? Sari Sumdac? As in...from...the TV show, Transformers Animated?_

Slowly, Emma began piecing together what could have happened, if indeed she was not dreaming this. She could remember standing on the station platform, and the train was approaching. Then...she fell...or...something...she'd not really been able to see what had happened...

So, she was either dead, or dreaming, or...

Emma glanced at the little red-haired girl in front of her. If this wasn't Sari Sumdac, then it was a little Indian girl doing a very good job of it, complete with maroon contact lenses. But, what parent in their right mind would let their eight year old wear contacts?

Sari tilted her head to one side. "Are you okay? You don't look so good..."

Emma realised that she was shaking, and her skin felt cold and clammy. Taking a deep breath, she nodded, and said: "Y-yes, I'm okay." Her voice sounded oddly like she was singing, and the panic that she felt at speaking made her throat constrict the way it usually did when she was speaking to strangers. "Wh-where am I?"

Sari's maroon eyes sparkled. "Your in my house, well my Dad's house, actually!"

"Which is where?" Emma decided then and there to feign ignorance, until she could figure out just what was going on here. If she had to, then she would reveal more about herself as time went by, but Emma had not been able to fly under the radar for so long for nothing. If there was one thing she was good at, it was staying quiet and taking things in before she did anything else.

"In Detroit, of course." Sari frowned. "How could you not know that?" Then, she snapped her fingers. "Oh, of course! You're from Australia!"

It was Emma's turn to frown, as she still looked everywhere but at Sari. "How did you know that?" She asked quietly, her voice constricting again and her hand flew to her throat, which was when she realised that she was wearing different clothes - a quick glance around the room revealed that her outfit from before was folded neatly over a chair.

Emma took the opportunity to examine her surroundings more closely at that point, wishing that her eyes weren't making things quite so blurry. _Stupid short-distance vision only...I can't even see the words on that building over there..._

The room was coloured a soft blue with a silvery-blue carpet and silver curtains hanging across a floor to ceiling window that stretched out over one entire wall to her left. The bed she was in was huge, and faced the door. A futuristic-looking silver desk was against the same wall as the door, along with a bookcase full of books. Further examination revealed Emma's backpack to be on the desk. A wardrobe sat against the wall to her right.

"Oh, we found your wallet with your ID in it in your backpack," Sari explained, completely missing the look of surprise that crossed Emma's face when she heard about this invasion of her privacy. "Captain Fanzone took it with him."

"Captain Fanzone?" Emma repeated. _That fat guy that hates machines, but is awesomeness anyways? I can't wrap my head around this..._

Sari nodded. "The chief of police." She leaned forwards. "Hey, Emma," Emma didn't have to ask how Sari knew her name. "When you fell out of the sky, where did you come from, I mean really?" She wanted to know.

Emma considered this. Should she tell Sari that she came from another world, or possibly another universe? What would the little girl do or say? Would she believe her?

Emma opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a ring-tone she recognized, but couldn't quite believe she was hearing.

The _Transformers Animated_ theme song played in ring-tone format, and Sari reached into the pocket of her yellow and cream dress to answer her matching phone, as Emma looked on in mild shock.

"Yo?" Sari said, by way of greeting, and listened for a second before nodding to herself. "Yup, we'll be out soon...we? Oh, you'll meet her soon, she's my new nanny...didn't Bulkhead tell you about this? Oh, well, now you know. See ya." She hung up the phone.

"Th-that ring tone...?" Emma muttered.

"Huh?" Sari glanced at her. "Oh, it came with the phone." She hopped off the bed. "Hurry up and get dressed, I want you to meet my friends!"

"Your friends?" Emma repeated, blinking. _Does she mean...the Autobots? She must! I just heard her say Bulkhead, and that must've been Bumblebee she was just talking to! Oh my God oh my God OH MY GOD!_ "And, wh-what's this about a...nanny?"

Sari looked at Emma's perfectly expressionless face. The older girl may have _looked_ calm, but the constriction of her voice gave her away. She was a shy one. Sari could have sang. She'd soon bring Emma out of her shell, with a bit of help from Bumblebee! This was going to be so much fun!

"Oh, I'll explain all of that later! For now, come and meet the Autobots!" And, with that, she hopped off the bed, and then stopped. "Oh, did Sparkplug bring a key in here by any chance?" She wanted to know.

Emma nodded, and uncovered the key which had been buried underneath the sheets. As soon as she handed it to Sari, it stopped glowing.

"Huh? That's weird..." Sari said, putting the key back around her neck. "It was doing that yesterday when we first found you...does the All-Spark...?" She glanced at Emma, who was tugging at the hem of her champagne-coloured nightgown. It was made of silk, and looked expensive. "Oh, my Dad got some clothes for you, and got some robots to change your clothes for you while you were unconscious. Dad said you can stay here." She added, heading towards the door.

"Ah, umm..." Emma began to protest.

"Don't worry about it!" Sari grinned, and waved to her. "Hurry up!" She added, as the automatic doors closed behind her, leaving Emma speechless.

Emma looked at Sparkplug. "So..."

Sparkplug barked in response, and ran around in a circle excitedly.

Emma swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She went over to the window and cautiously opened the curtains all the way, to be greeted by the sight of Detroit city in the morning.

Emma stared at it. It was bigger than Perth, and could even put Kuala Lumpur to shame.

"This...this is really happening..." Emma whispered, in her singing voice. She turned from the window and hurried over to the desk. She dug around in her bag and pulled out her mobile phone. She flipped it open and quickly punched in her Mother's mobile number.

Holding the phone up to her ear, she waited, and was thoroughly disappointed when an old lady said: "_The number you are trying to dial is not in service. Please check the number and try again_."

Emma gulped, and tried her Dad's mobile.

"_The number you are trying to dial is not in service. Please check the number and try again_."

She tried the home phone.

"_The number you are trying to dial is not in service. Please check the number and try again_."

She even tried her sister's mobile number.

"_Didn't you hear me, I said this number is not in service!_"

"So...rry..." Emma muttered, hanging up the phone and closing it slowly. Slowly, she sunk into the desk chair. "I...I don't know what to do..." She gulped. "How do I handle this one?"

Something nudged her leg. She looked down and saw Sparkplug. "Heya, boy..." She patted the top of his metallic head. "You're the first robot I've ever met...hey, you think I'll be okay? You think I should go and meet Sari's mates?"

Sparkplug barked twice, meaning yes.

Emma nodded. "Alright then, I will!" _I'll go and meet them...the Autobots!_

* * *

That was easier said than done, since Sumdac Tower turned out to be _huge_ and, of course, Emma got lost. She was usually pretty good at directions, but this was an extreme case. She also saw more robots, and that was a new experience for her. There were big robots, little robots, scurrying back and forth, some carrying big stacks of paperwork or other important items. It was awe-inspiring and completely overwhelming, and Emma had to admit that she probably looked like a scared and lost mouse dressed all in black (she had opted for her old clothes, since she didn't feel like exploiting the Sumdacs' kindness anymore that she already had) by the time she bumped into Professor Isaac Sumdac.

Literally, since he wasn't paying attention as he came out of his top-secret work room, and she wasn't paying attention either.

"Oh, sorry!" She apologized straight away, looking at the floor uncomfortably.

"Quite alright." The short, cubby Indian man said distractedly, and then he seemed to notice to whom he was speaking. His eyes widened. "Oh! Wait, you are the girl from last night...Emma, right?"

Emma nodded.

"Yes, my daughter Sari was quite firm about having you stay with us, and I do not mind at all." Isaac informed her. "I have been meaning to talk to you, however, about your qualifications and occupation."

"Uh..." Emma took a half step back, wondering what he was getting at. Had Sari been serious about the whole nanny thing?

Isaac nodded. "Yes. You see, yesterday, one of my daughter's friends accidentally destroyed the Tutor-Bot I manufactured from to teach Sari what she would usually learn in school."

Emma nodded. "Uh-huh..." _Jeez, he's not wasting any time here, is he?_

"Well, I was just wondering," Isaac said. "If you would be willing to keep an eye on Sari and help her with her studies, until the Tutor-Bot is repaired, that is?"

Emma gulped. "In-in return for staying here?" She asked meekly.

"Oh, no, of course not!" Isaac said quickly. "Just...Sari seems very attached to you already...something to do with her Autobot friends, and the Spark-All..."

"Uh, you mean the...All-Spark?" Emma smiled slightly.

"Oh, yes, that thing." Isaac nodded. "My daughter knows all about it. She...does not have very many human friends, Emma."

Emma nodded. She could understand that.

"I worry about her and, even though I know she is well protected by the Autobots..." Isaac trailed off.

Emma nodded once again. She did that when she was nervous. "I'll keep an eye on her, Professor...you're a professor, right?"

It was Isaac's turn to nod. "Yes. You are not from around here, so you would not know much about this city."

Emma shook her head, no. "No, but I'm sure that I'll learn soon."

"Yes, I'm sure you will." Isaac agreed. "Come, I will escort you to the reception area, where I am sure that Sari will be waiting most impatiently for you."

Emma giggled, already well aware of the little girl's impatience. Despite everything being so uncertain still (not to mention what would happen when Fanzone checked her ID) Emma began to think that this might be kind of...fun...

* * *

Sari was indeed waiting impatiently in the reception area of Sumdac Tower, along with a yellow robot that Emma recognized immediately as Bumblebee.

Her heart began to beat a little bit faster, as she followed Isaac across the floor towards the other two. She carried with her the same backpack she'd managed to bring with her, only it was considerably lighter, containing only her MP3 Player; her mobile phone (not that she would need it); her wallet; her glasses and her book. The plushies of Sakura and Sasuke still dangled from the bag. Emma was going to keep them on there, possibly just because her Father had told her _not_ to have them on there.

"_Finally_!" Sari's frown turned into a grin. "Emma, this is Bumblebee! Bumblebee, this is Emma!"

"H-hi." Emma said, glancing quickly at Bumblebee's bright blue optics, and then looking away just as quickly. _This is like a dream come true! THE Bumblebee!_

"Hi!" Bumblebee had a voice that sounded as bright and chirpy as Sari's, and he held out his hand for Emma to shake. "I'm Bumblebee but you can call me...Bumblebee!"

Emma shook Bumblebee's finger, feeling slightly overwhelmed but unable to keep the smile off her face. Here was a bot that probably wouldn't judge her. He'd been bullied at Boot Camp just like she'd been bullied at school so, already, she felt comfortable enough around him to say: "N-nice to meet you, Bee...can I c-call you that?"

"Sure." Bumblebee looked pleased with his new nickname.

"Yeah," Sari piped up. "His full name _is_ kind of a mouthful, for someone so short..."

"You're one to talk!" Bumblebee sounded outraged, which Emma (being only five foot tall) could well understand. Sari was only about three foot seven herself, so Bumblebee's retort was valid.

"Well, I'm just saying that, when compared to, say, _Bulkhead_," Sari shrugged. "You're on the piddling side of puny..."

"Hey! At least I'm swift and graceful!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

Sari rolled her eyes. "By whose opinion?"

"By _mine_!"

"Doesn't count."

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

Emma glanced at Isaac. "Umm, are they _always_ like this?"

"You will get used to it." Isaac nodded.

* * *

Captain Fanzone sighed, and gazed sadly at the box of donuts on his desk. He had bought them the night before but, unfortunately, a number of incidents related to his job as the chief of police had prevented him from even opening the box of iced and glazed donut treats.

And now, it seemed, things were about to get even more complicated. He had just keyed in the mysterious girl's ID into the computer system, and had come up with nothing. Nada. Zilch.

He'd even rang the head police office in Perth, Western Australia, and had been put on hold for two hours as they connected him to their branch office in Canberra.

The police chief there had basically told him what the computer had said - that there was no record of an Emma Paradiso on _any_ of their computers.

Now, Fanzone sat back, looking at the driver's license in the palm of his hand. And, that was when he noticed something, something that would have made this whole ordeal a whole lot easier, but opened up a hundred new questions for him.

"How did I not see this before?" Fanzone wondered, before reaching for the phone and dialing a number. "Hello? Isaac? We got an issue...damn answering machine!" He slammed the receiver down. "This is why I hate machines!"

* * *

"So, this is it!" Sari was saying, gesturing to the Autobot's base as she; Bumblebee and Emma walked inside. "The Autobot Base!"

They walked inside, to discover a training session that appeared to be going on between Bulkhead and Prowl.

Emma stopped just on the threshold, staring in complete silence and going unnoticed by everybody.

"No, you must move like a gentle wind." Prowl was explaining to Bulkhead. The slender black cyber-ninja demonstrated a short series of martial arts moves, and then looked at Bulkhead. The big green bot motioned to himself, and Prowl nodded.

Bulkhead tried to mimic Prowl's movements, but failed miserably.

"Gentle wind?" Bumblebee chuckled, going to stand beside Prowl. "You'll be lucky to get him down to an omega class solar storm!"

"Bumblebee..." Sari tried to sound stern, but ended up chuckling. She looked over her shoulder. "Emma, come over here!" She called. "They don't bite...much!"

Prowl glanced over his shoulder, and saw the black-clad girl lingering uncertainly by the door. She glanced at him, and then looked away quickly, at a spot just past his left shoulder. Her golden eyes widened.

"_Abunai_!" She exclaimed, in a voice that sounded to everybody present like she was singing.

Watch out?

Bulkhead had tried again, and ended up tripping over an old oil drum. He tumbled towards Prowl and Bumblebee.

Bumblebee grabbed Sari and jumped out of the way, but Prowl, just turning back around to face the front, didn't have time to react.

He gasped slowly, as the big green bot crashed onto him, and then everything went black.

There was a warm feeling in his chest...Sari must be using her key on a lower setting to help him out...

When his world came back online, he found himself staring into the expressionless faces of his Autobot friends; Sari and the unfamiliar human named Emma.

"Nice, Prowl." Ratchet said gruffly. "Maybe next you can teach an engine block to float."

Sari, from atop Bumblebee's shoulder, giggled, breaking the monotony of the moment, and everybody leaned back.

Prowl sat up groggily, and looked to his right, where the unfamiliar human was positioned.

She was older than Sari, and of a different nationality. There was something strange about her, something Prowl couldn't quite place...

"Who is...?" He looked at her, and watched as she looked away again. Something about that gesture...

"Oh, the human from yesterday!" Bulkhead said. "She fell out of the sky when I was taking Sari home!"

"Yup!" Sari grinned. "Her name is Emma, and she's my new nanny!"

"What's a...nanny?" Optimus asked, before looking it up. He discovered that it meant a childminder; child care survivor or a Mother's helper that provided care for one or more children in a family as a service. "Oh, I see. Well, it's nice to meet you." He smiled at the young woman, whom smiled back uncertainly.

Sari began to introductions. "This is Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots." Sari had explained everything about the Autobots and their mission here on earth to Emma whilst they were traveling to the base.

Emma shook Optimus' finger, and smiled a little bit.

"Ratchet's the doctor, and he's kind of grumpy." Sari explained.

"Hey!" The red and white bot protested, and then rolled his sky-blue optics. "Young ones these days..."

Emma giggled softly. She could see what Sari meant by Ratchet being grumpy, although she'd already known this years ago. She still couldn't quite believe that she was here. She also had a positive idea of where in the timeline she was, and now she felt a little bit better.

A little bit.

"This is Bulkhead," Sari was saying. "He's the one that was with me when we found you yesterday."

"Hey. Glad to see you're doing okay." Bulkhead waved to the young woman, whom smiled uncertainly, probably a little bit freaked out by what she'd just seen.

"The one on the floor is Prowl." Sari finished up, as Prowl got up. "He's a..."

"Ninja, right?" Emma asked quietly, twisting her hands nervously.

Sari nodded. "Yeah...hey, Prowl, are you trying to teach Bulkhead all that stuff?"

Prowl nodded. "It seems necessary for him to learn how to move without...uh..."

"Without breaking everything he touches?" Bumblebee suggested, grinning.

"Uh, I can hear you, you know." Bulkhead said grumpily.

"Look, you two, no offense or anything, but it might be better if you trained somewhere else." Optimus said, as tactfully as he could. _Away from anything breakable, like the humans._ He added silently, glancing at Sari's new friend, who'd said about three words since arriving at the base. Whatever her first opinions of them were, they couldn't have been good.

"Meanwhile," Sari jumped off of Bumblebee's shoulder and hurried over to Emma. "We're going _shopping_!"

"F-for what?" Emma stuttered, blinking. She didn't like the mischievous look on Sari's face.

* * *

"S-Sari, I think we went o-overboard..." Emma was more than a little overwhelmed that afternoon, staring at all of the stuff Sari had made her buy. Mostly clothes, and accessories. "Isn't it ex-expensive?"

"Nah, my Dad won't care, he has tons of money." Sari said, in a matter-of-fact way, not at all in a snobby tone. "Besides, you needed something that's not black."

"And _you_ need something that's not _yellow_!" Emma retorted without thinking.

Sari's eyes widened, and then she laughed. "You're not all that bad, you know? How do you like this place so far?"

"It's good," Emma shrugged. "It's just..._overwhelming_, you know? Totally c-crazy." She turned back to her purchases and began trying to mentally come up with outfits. She'd never been very good at it. She preferred to just slap on a lot of black, and that was that.

"You'll get used to it." Sari grinned.

_Why does everybody keep saying that to me?_ Emma wondered. "Y-yeah...the Autobots are...incredible..." She said shyly.

"Aren't they?" Sari agreed. "Do you have a favourite yet?" She asked, somewhat slyly, and grinned even wider as Emma cringed. _Ah-ha, I knew it!_

"S-Sari, I've known them for l-less than a day!" Emma held her throat briefly. Sari recognized that she did that whenever she was nervous or embarrassed. She'd not known Emma for very long but, well, Sari was a perceptive kid. She decided to wait and see which Autobot had caught Emma's eye.

Then, she would act on that.

* * *

"Utilizing state of the art robotics," Isaac was saying that night, as many people gathered around the display at Dino-Drive. The Autobots; Sari and Emma were there, too. "I now bring Dino-Drive into the twenty-second century! I give you, the Dino-Bots!" He pressed a button on a remote-control he was holding.

The three dinosaur robots from before had been modified, and were even more impressive than before. A tyrannosaurus; a triceratops and a pterodactyl, all of them so realistic and life-like that everybody was speechless, and in awe.

Sari, sitting on Bumblebee's right shoulder, grinned at Emma, whom looked a little bit uncomfortable perched in a poised and dainty way on the yellow bot's other shoulder.

Sari gave her the thumbs-up, but also wished that Emma wasn't wearing all black still - jeans and a t-shirt, this time. She'd bought some awesome coloured tops today, and now Sari just had to figure out how to get her to wear them. Maybe by hiding all of the black items of clothing...? Yeah, she'd have to try that...

Emma smiled awkwardly at Sari, and then turned back to face the front, looking at the Dino-Bots.

She gasped. "Their eyes just glowed red!" She said quickly.

"Huh?" Sari and Bumblebee blinked.

No sooner had Emma spoke, when the Dino-Bots began acting up. Isaac attempted to calm the crowd and bring the Dino-Bots under control, but he ended up having to be saved by Optimus, right from the chomping mouth of the t-rex.

As the Dino-Bots roared/screeched to the sky, people began running from the scene. Emma clung to Bumblebee's shoulder, her face pale but otherwise expressionless, as Bumblebee ran from the oncoming t-rex.

He placed Emma and Sari down on the ground, before attempting to help his friends avert this potential disaster.

"Whoa!" Sari exclaimed, as her key began glowing blue, and pointing at Bumblebee. It pulled her towards him, and she grinned. As it stopped glowing, she hurried forwards, and hopped up onto Bumblebee's shoulder, like some kind of a monkey. She gave him a boost using the key.

It was Emma's turn to say whoa, as the electricity intensified and sent shockwaves everywhere. Her chest felt warm all of a sudden, and she didn't even have time to feel nervous - this was _incredible_.

She realised that this was indeed happening, it was like a wake-up call.

As the energy dispersed, Isaac said that he had no idea what had gone wrong.

Everybody watched as he went over to the Dino-Bots, which seemed to have acquired new paint jobs.

Emma crept forwards cautiously, and stood beside Sari and Bumblebee, as Isaac mentioned something about taking the Dino-Bots apart and rewiring them and whatnot.

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Prowl stepped forwards.

"Well, they're just machines." Isaac replied, half in and half out of one of the Dino-Bots, as he attempted to rewire it then and there.

"A-are you sure?" Emma asked quietly, but Isaac didn't hear her. He was too busy tinkering with the machines. "They seem kind of...not n-non s-sentient..."

"You've never really seen a robot before, have you, Emma?" Sari asked her.

Her shoulders sagged. "I'm sheltered." She groaned.

Sari nodded. "I know _just_ how you feel." She said, and this time Isaac heard what was being said, and cringed.

_I am sorry, Sari, but if anything were to happen..._

* * *

Later that night, just when it seemed like nothing more could go wrong, the Dino-Bots went insane, considering they were sentient and that Megatron was turning them against the humans, which was unknown to Isaac and the others.

Fanzone was in a bad mood already, what with having to go and inform Isaac about what he'd just discovered about the man's new employee, and now Isaac's robots were trashing the city.

Fanzone was sure that fate didn't like him.

One robot sent a car flying with a flick of its tail. The car missed all the people, but bounced off of Fanzone's car, destroying it.

Fanzone stared at the dinosaur robot for a second, before grabbing an RPG from the nearest soldier. "Give me that!" He snapped, and fired at the robot.

The grenade did nothing to harm to robot at all, much to Fanzone's disbelief. "This is why I hate machines!" He said, for the eight time that day.

* * *

The Autobots were rushing to the rescue.

Bulkhead suggested luring the Dino-Bots someplace safer.

"Good thinking, Bulkhead!" Optimus praised him.

"He said good thinking!" Bulkhead was stunned.

"And Bulkhead!" Bumblebee added.

* * *

"I wonder what's happening!" Sari had her face pressed up to the window, and was watching what was going on from a safe distance away.

"I'm s-sure the Autobots will deal with it." Emma said, leaning against the wall by the door of Sari's room. "You should go to sleep now, okay?" She suggested.

Sari sighed. "Okay." She said, and went over to her bed to get changed. "Good night."

"Night, Sari." Emma nodded, smiling, and left the room, turning the lights off as she did.

No sooner had she gone, when Sari was back to the window, watching the action again.

Of course, in her own room down the hallway, Emma was too, sitting cross-legged by the windows and in awe.

Her mind was racing, though. Soon, the Autobots would win, and then Prowl and Bulkhead would save the Dino-Bots from being melted down, which nobody else would know about until later on.

More than anything, she was glad that she was here, even though she didn't know how or why just yet...

* * *

Somehow, after the battle, Sari and Emma weren't surprised to see each other outside during the aftermath, both of them still fully dressed and wide awake. They looked at each other, and then followed the police sirens a few blocks down, to where the Dino-Bots were contained in a sticky black, tar-like goo.

Isaac was thanking the Autobots.

"And again," he said, stepping forwards. "My apologies for the, umm, glitch, in their programming."

"You call breathing fire a glitch?" Ratchet said gruffly.

Isaac was contrite, and recognized his mistakes, saying that he should be more careful.

Prowl enquired as to what was going to happen to the Dino-Bots now.

"Keep them in the energy cage for now," Isaac replied casually. "Then melt them down first thing in the morning."

"Eww..." Emma muttered. _Poor Dino-Bots!_

"Melt them?" Prowl repeated, sounding stunned.

"After all, they are still just mindless machines." Isaac shrugged.

Prowl looked at the Dino-Bots, and then glanced at Emma. She was also looking at the Dino-Bots, and seemed unnerved for some reason. Prowl remembered what she had said earlier on that night.

"But I...I sense something..." Prowl admitted. "A life force...a...a spark..."

"A spark?" Emma whispered, blinking. "Like, as in, a h-heart? Wh-what if they're..."

"More than just mindless machines?" Prowl finished for her.

She blushed. "Y-yeah..." She nodded, and placed her hands to her face in a triangle with her fingers and closed her eyes. "Wh-what if...?"

_She's different from most humans I've met..._ Prowl realised. _Why?_

"That's an awfully big 'what if', you two," Optimus said gently. "But, I think Professor Sumdac is right. These things are far too dangerous...come on Autobots. Let's roll!" He transformed, and Bumblebee; Ratchet and Bulkhead followed suit.

Sari and her Father waved to them.

Prowl glanced over his shoulder at them, and noticed the unhappy look on Emma's face. She glanced up at him, and then looked away.

Prowl transformed and followed his Autobot friends.

Emma; Sari and Isaac watched him go, although Emma was not happy.

* * *

Later that night, Prowl and Bulkhead returned to where the Dino-Bots were, only to find that Emma was there.

"Emma?" Prowl transformed. "What are you doing here?"

The human didn't look at him. She was busy staring at the Dino-Bots, but she said: "Th-they're not just 'mindless machines', are they?"

"No," Prowl shook his head. "I sense something..." He said quietly.

"Are you two sure about this?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"Yes." Emma and Prowl said in unison. They glanced at each other, and then she looked away.

_Hmm..._ Prowl thought.

Bulkhead sighed. "Okay, let's do this, then..."

* * *

Emma crawled into bed at eight-thirty the next morning, knowing that she was probably going to have to get up in the next half hour anyway.

_Well, that was an interesting first day of my new life..._


	4. Truth That Lies

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR

Truth That Lies

* * *

Emma was having the best dream. In it, she was flying through the sky but, unlike when she flew on airplanes, she wasn't scared. Maybe it was because the wings were on her own back, and she was in control. Well, sort of. She faltered a little bit, and felt somebody squeeze her hand reassuringly. She glanced to her left, and saw a pair of bright red eyes, and the smiling face of somebody she knew, but...

BEEP-BEEP BEEP! BEEP-BEEP BEEP!

Emma jolted awake. "What _is_ that?!" She cried, hoping that it wasn't an alarm clock. Otherwise, a Great Clock Massacre may take place soon.

She looked around the big blue room that she was staying in whilst at the Sumdac's, and saw a small flashing light on the wall behind her bed, next to a small intercom-like thing.

Emma, feeling slightly important, pressed the button. "H-hello?" She stammered.

"Ah, good, you are awake." Said Isaac's voice. "Emma, Captain Fanzone is here wishing to speak with you...he says that it is most urgent."

Something about Isaac's voice alerted Emma to the fact that something was not right, and so she said: "O-okay, I'll be down in a minute..."

She waited for the beep that told her that the connection had been terminated, and then looked at her watch, which read nine-twenty. "Awwww..." She complained. _I need a coffee..._

* * *

Coffee was, thankfully, provided, but somehow, Emma wished that it wasn't, as she was ushered into a private room, where two surly-looking police bots and a fat police officer with a blonde mustache were waiting for her.

_Who the Hell is he...?_ Emma thought, her mind still blurry as she sat down, feeling confused, and took a swig of coffee, hoping that it wasn't laced with a truth serum or something. She wondered if this was about the Dino-Bots, or...?

Her head snapped up. "I didn't do it!" She protested.

"Didn't do what?" The police officer was trying to figure out how to close the electric-powered door.

"Wh-whatever it is that you're a-accusing me of..." Emma trailed off, as the police officer succeeded in programming the door to shut, but he had left his hand in the door, and it swished closed on it.

"Gyaah!" He cried, wrenching his now throbbing red hand free. "This is why I _hate_ machines!" He complained, turning around and marching back to the table.

_Oh..._ Emma thought, realising that this was Captain Fanzone. She eyed him over her coffee cup, and took another sip. _Now I feel slightly better, but only a little bit...I wish I knew what this was about, though..._

Fanzone answered her question just then, by throwing a familiar-looking card onto the table in front of her. He didn't say anything.

Resisting the urge to jump and point at one of the police-bots, claiming "she did it", Emma just folded her hands in her lap, and said: "M-my license?"

Fanzone raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but it says here on your license that you were born in the year 1990, correct?"

Emma nodded silently, knowing what was coming.

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, that should make you at least _sixty_ years old," Fanzone stated. "Care to tell me about this...?" He trailed off, as Emma counted on her fingers, trying to see if he was right about the whole age thing. Fanzone sighed. This was going to be a difficult one...

* * *

"Dad?" Sari asked him, and Isaac turned around from consulting with one of his assistants.

Only Sari could ever get away with interrupting the Professor. The assistant just rolled her eyes. Isaac's daughter was the same age as the assistant's own daughter, but the two couldn't have been more different. Sari had been sheltered and protected, and lacked, shall we say, certain social skills? She was a strange child...

"Yes, what is it, Sari?" Isaac said.

"Where's Emma?" Sari wanted to know. "I thought she was supposed to be going rollerblading with me and Bumblebee today..." She pointed across the huge lab room, to where the yellow speedster known as Bumblebee waved. Sari waved back, and then looked at her Dad. "So, where's Em?"

"Ah..." Isaac looked aside, not sure how his daughter was going to take this news. Sari had a temper, and she seemed to be very attached to her new nanny already. "Well, you see...Captain Fanzone arrived earlier this morning to question Emma about her...uh..._identification_..."

Sari raised an eyebrow. "Why would he do that?"

Isaac sighed, knowing what was coming. "Because he believes it to be fake." He said, in a small voice.

Across the room, Bumblebee heard Sari's indignant and outraged shriek of: "WHAT?!" He watched the little red-head's pigtails stand on end, and then she said: "_Where are they_?! Oh, never mind, I'll find them myself - with my key!" Said key immediately began glowing, as if alerted by her words and, to the shock of Isaac and his assistant, Sari rn from the room, letting the key lead her like some kind of a leash. Bumblebee followed quickly in her wake.

* * *

Fanzone stared at Emma. In all of his time as the Chief Of Police (as a COP?) he had never once heard a story at all like what she had just told him. For one thing, it had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, and would have been completely unbelievable...except for the fact that, what with the Autobots arriving from space, and seemingly impossible things recently becoming possible, it sounded almost...plausible.

_Almost_.

Except for one thing. "Now, how do I know that you're telling the truth? Anybody could just come out and say that they come from a different time, and possibly a different universe..." He was speaking a lot more gently now, because Emma had that look on her face that some young women got right when they were about to start crying, and Fanzone didn't need that right now. He had a teenage daughter himself, and he knew how difficult things could get when they started crying. He only hoped that boarding school in England would toughen her up a bit.

"I know," Emma wasn't looking at him, and hadn't been doing so since this session started, so Fanzone really didn't know if she was telling the truth or not. "B-but...oh, wait!" Her head snapped up. "Sari's key!"

"Yeah, what about it?" Fanzone couldn't _wait_ to hear this.

"She said that it was acting up when she and B-Bulkhead found m-me!" Emma told him, glancing at the police chief and then looking away. Her hand was at her throat as she stammered: "Th-the All-Spark brought me here, I'm s-sure of it!"

Fanzone considered this. "Just how much _do_ you know about all of this?" He was trying to consider this situation from all angles.

"Umm..." Emma began, just as the electric door swung open, and Sari ran in, her key glowing. "S-Sari?!"

Sari ran to Emma, put her arms around her waist, and gave Fanzone a Look. "You can't arrest Emma, she didn't do anything wrong!"

Fanzone sighed, as Bumblebee peered into the room - the doorway was too big for him to fit through, which didn't happen very often. "Nobody's getting arrested - at least not yet." He added, and both Sari and Emma flinched. "I'm just trying to figure out if the story Miss. Paradiso told me is...is, err...?"

"Legit?" One of the police-bots supplied.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it." Fanzone said carelessly, before turning back to Emma. "Emma L. Paradiso?"

"Y-yes." She stammered.

"Born September seventeenth, 1990?" Fanzone went on, and watched as Sari gasped and looked up at Emma in shock.

Emma blinked back the tears that had threatened to escape, and nodded. "Yes."

"But, you claim to come from a different world, and possibly a different dimension, correct?" Fanzone picked up at the ID.

Again, Emma nodded. Something about Sari's presence (not to mention Bumblebee's) was very comforting all of a sudden, and she felt confident enough to add: "It's like a parallel world, or d-dimension, you know?"

"Oh!" Bumblebee spoke up. "You mean like a self-contained universe existing separate and parallel to the primary universe?"

Everybody stared at him.

He blinked his big blue optics, and then looked offended. "What? Bulkhead's not the only bot that watches _Star Trek_!" He shook his head. "Anyway, Fanzone, you're not seriously going to arrest Emma, are you? She's such a good, sweet kid!"

"Hey!" Emma protested. "I'm twenty-two!"

Sari turned to Fanzone with tear-filled maroon eyes. "Puh-_leaze_ can she stay?" She begged.

Fanzone sighed, and turned back to Emma. "Okay, here's what we'll do." He couldn't _believe_ that he was about to do this, and it was going to be impossible to explain back at headquarters, but who was he to argue to an alien robot and a kid that could turn on the puppy-dog eyes better than his own daughter could? "We'll treat this similar to how we treated the arrival of you Autobots," he glanced at Bumblebee, before continuing: "We'll allow you to stay here, but under the same terms and conditions as them."

Sari was grinning, and she and Bumblebee gave each other the thumbs-up. Emma managed to keep her excitement down to a small smile, but she asked: "What are these t-terms?"

Fanzone nodded to one of the police-bots, who opened his stomach-plate and took out a massive stack of papers from within. He dropped them onto the table with a loud THUMP!.

Sari and Emma just stared, as Fanzone took his leave, muttering something under his breath and leaving Emma's ID and wallet on the table behind him.

Bumblebee moved aside to let the police pass, and then peered back into the room. "Whoa..." He widened his optics at the sight of the paperwork. "What _is_ all that stuff?"

Sari looked at him. "You don't know?" She sounded surprised.

Bumblebee just shrugged. "Meh, I let Prime and the others take care of all that boring stuff."

Sari grinned. "What a great idea!" She grabbed Emma's hand and tugged her away from the table. "Come on, we can deal with that stuff later! Right now, we need some _major_ retail therapy!"

"And rollerblading?" Bumblebee asked hopefully.

"And rollerblading." Sari agreed.

* * *

"Sari, did you Dad say anything about your l-lessons?" Emma wanted to know, as she and Sari waited in line to rent their skates at the park.

Sari shook her head quickly. "No, he didn't." She crossed her fingers behind her back.

Emma saw this. "_Sari_..." She said, warningly.

"What?" Sari asked innocently. "I'm sure my Dad's more concerned about me going out and having a good time while I'm still young."

_What does she mean by 'while I'm still young'?_ Emma shook off the strange feeling she had, and let Sari order two pairs of skates and safety gear for them. She herself never wore safety gear whilst rollerblading, but she thought it might be a good idea not to press any underlying laws that there might be. She was thankful at being allowed to stay, that she probably would have done anything anybody asked her to do right then and there.

Bumblebee was looking out over the crowds of people that were skating, as Sari and Emma strapped on their rented rollerblades. "Uh, guys, I don't think I'll be able to join you...it looks too crowded out there for me..." He sounded thoroughly disappointed.

Emma looked up at him. "Don't you have a holoform?" She asked him.

He blinked and looked down at her. "Huh? A what...?"

"You know, kind of like Prowl's when he's in alt mode," Emma explained quietly. "B-but, more of a...human form?"

Bumblebee tilted his head to one side. "You know, I've never considered that...hold on a cycle..." He walked off into the trees.

Emma and Sari watched him, wordlessly.

There was suddenly a bright flash of blue light from behind the trees. Emma and Sari exchanged a glance and, when they looked back, a teenage boy was walking towards them.

He had blonde hair with black tips, and was wearing a yellow jacket with black stripes down the sleeves, a grey t-shirt and black jeans. A silver version of the Autobot symbol hung from his neck, and his eyes were the same brilliant sky blue as...

"Bumblebee?!" Emma and Sari exclaimed.

"What do you think?" He still _sounded_ the same, but what a transformation! He held his arms out, and grinned. "Why didn't I think of this sooner? This is _awesome_!"

Sari's face broke into a grin. "I'll say! Wow!" She jumped off the bench and skated over to Bumblebee, touching his arm. "You're even solid! How did you do it?!"

Bumblebee shrugged. "I dunno...I just...did it."

Sari nodded. "Makes sense to me."

Emma just watched them, smiling slightly. _Did i just mess up the entire two episodes of _Human Error_? Maybe..._

Just then, a bunch of cool-looking teenagers skated past them, and one of them called out to Bumblebee: "Hey, shorty, I think those girls are too young and old for you!" He and the others laughed. They didn't seem to recognize him as an Autobot.

Bumblebee looked outraged. "Oh yeah?!" He said, his blue eyes flashing. "I'll show you!"

Sari had a sudden idea. "Wait!" She grabbed his arm and yanked him down to her level, whispering in his ear.

Bumblebee listened, and then he grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" He straightened up. "Oi! We challenge you!"

The teenagers looked surprised. "You serious, shorty?" The boy whom was obviously their leader said.

Sari nodded. "You bet! You, you, and you," she singled out three of them, including the leader. "Against us three." She motioned to herself, Bumblebee and Emma.

Emma blinked. "Huh? S-Sari, why am I a part of this?"

"Em-ma," Sari skated back to her and yanked her to her feet. "Come on, our _honor_ is at stake!" She told her.

"What honor?" Emma wanted to know.

"Our honor as shorties!" Sari declared, pumping a fist into the air.

Emma sighed. "Well, I can respect that..." She caved in.

* * *

"Note to self," Sari said, cringing as she applied ice to the bruise on her ankle. "Never let the opponent name the challenge."

"Especially when they all happen to be roller-derby masters." Emma agreed, turning a page of her guidelines with the hand that wasn't wrapped up in a bandage.

"Well, at least we won." Sari pointed out.

"That we did." Emma nodded.

"Think we upheld our honor as shorties?" Sari wanted to know.

"I'm sure we did." Emma replied.

It was evening, and they were back at the Sumdac Tower, hanging out in Emma's room. Emma was sitting at her desk, trying to make sense of what she could and couldn't do (section six, subsection delta - I must not wage war on another country...why not?). Sari was sitting on Emma's bed with a cold-pack wrapped up in a tea towel pressed against her leg, and she was also going through all of the files on Emma's computer.

"These are so cool!" Sari exclaimed, looking at all of the vector-based images and Flash animations.

"Thanks." Emma replied, glad that she didn't have any Transformers things on her computer. She had decided not to tell anybody about that. Yet. "I wanted to be a graphic designer back in my world. I was studying that..." She frowned at a guideline entitled: A Hundred Ways I Can Be Arrested In Relation To Milk-Based Products. Who _wrote_ these?!

"So, what about your home?" Sari wanted to know, not noticing the way Emma's shoulders tensed up. "Did you live by yourself, or...?"

"With my parents." Emma replied flatly, closing her eyes briefly. _Mum...Dad...what must you be thinking right now?_ She wondered, and opened her eyes just to see a familiar blue flash reflected on the wall.

She turned around quickly in her chair. "Sari...did you just use your key on my computer?"

Sari blinked. "Mmmm...no." The little girl replied.

Emma didn't believe her, but at least it didn't turn her Mac-Book Pro into a Transformer.

* * *

What it ended up doing she found out the next day, when she and Sari were hanging out with Bumblebee at the Autobot's base, and the others were out on patrol.

Sari and Bumblebee (in his holoform) were playing video games, and getting very animated about it. Bumblebee was _supposed_ to be on monitor duty, but who would know? Prime didn't say _which_ monitor...

Emma was sitting on an old wooden crate, with her computer on her lap (she'd downloaded the electronic version of her guidelines), and listening to _Great Southern Land_ by Icehouse, when something appeared in the corner of the screen.

_Huh_? She blinked. _That's never happened before..._ She dragged the cursor over to maximize the new window, and saw a map appear.

"What the Hell...?" She said outloud, watching as street names appeared, and her music started to sound static-y.

"What?" Sari called to her, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Sari, what street are we on?" Emma wanted to know, taking out one earphone.

"Cashmere Way!" Sari responded, before shrieking as her character onscreen took a hit. "No fair, I dodged that one!" She protested.

_Cashmere...Cashmere..._ Emma thought, locating the street name in the search bar that was on the window, and wondering what on earth this program was. The music was fading out and, Emma saw, a little red light had appeared on a street not too far from where the Autobot's base was located. It was blinking, and the red light looked clickable, so of course she clicked on it.

Through her earphones came what sounded like a very distorted phone-call, and Emma vaguely wondered if it was like that episode of _Transformers: Robots in Disguise_, where Mega-Octane contacted the Autobots on a very narrow bandwidth.

The conversation she overhead was hard to understand, but when she ran it through a dialogue box that accompanied the new program, what she got was:

"I got the shipment in here last night, right under the noses of the pathetic police-force." The voice had a faint Australian accent, much like her own. It reminded her of the poacher from _Fern Gully 2: The Magical Rescue_, and even _more_ so when the conversation continued.

"Good work," the second voice sounded cold, and it sounded like a woman. "These babies will sell a fortune on the black market. Just keep them alive, you got it?"

"Sure thing, boss."

The transmission cut out there, and Emma sat back against the wall, feeling stunned.

What was going on here? Had she just overheard two people planning to sell illegal animal imports on the black market?

According to her guidelines, she was supposed to do something about this.

But, what?

The first thing she had to do was go and check out it, which she did. She wasn't sure yet if she wanted to get the police involved - it could cause the two criminals to do something drastic. Emma had seen enough episodes of _Border Security_ to know that this was a serious case.

She just wondered how she should play this one out...

* * *

"That is the most useless thing I have ever heard!" Ratchet was ranting over the com-links, and the others knew what he meant. "A _holoform_?! Why doesn't he just _become_ a human?!"

"Calm down, Ratchet," Optimus said. "Maybe this is just what we need to blend in here on earth even better. We can interact with the humans a lot better if we looked like them."

"Prime's right," Bulkhead spoke up. "Who knows? It could be fun..."

Prowl was silently agreeing with the both of them, and a part of him couldn't wait any longer to try out a holoform. He told the others that he was going to take a different route home, and sped off down a side-street.

The others were silent, before Ratchet grumbled: "He's gone to try it out, hasn't he?"

"Well, you know Prowl," Optimus would have shrugged, if he could whilst in his alt mode. "I think that we should all take his and Bumblebee's example, and embrace this new type of power."

"I _knew_ that you were going to say that." Ratchet complained.

* * *

Emma stood by the street sign that, fittingly, read Swamp Road. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her hands were clenched angrily by her sides, ignoring the pain in her left hand from yesterdays roller-derby competition.

She had just overheard _the_ worst conversation in the world, and now she just had to decide what to do about it. If she told the police, then the criminal might decide to move early or, worse, destroy the evidence. The Australian man, Damo Rennards, was waiting for the woman, Victoria Greys, to come and collect the animals he had illegally imported, and it would probably be within the next few days, which meant that Emma had to move _tonight_. Emma had peered through the dirty broken window of number six Swamp Road, to see four cages. There was a curled-up echidna in one; a big fat Carpet Python that could barely fit into the next; what appeared to be a baby Saltwater Crocodile dehydrating in another; and a pair of trembling dingo pups huddled up together in the last. It was the sight of those two dingos, which reminded Emma of a pair of pups she'd seen at a wildlife park in Yallingup, that really got to her. This was way worse than any movie, and it struck so close to home that Emma was having trouble deciding what to do next.

"Give me a sign, Primus!" She leaned against the street sign post.

"Emma?" A voice said from behind her.

She gasped, and spun around, holding her computer out in front of her like a shield. She recognized that voice, however. "P-Prowl, is that you?" She couldn't help but stare at him, her hazel eyes slightly wide as she took in his new appearance.

Prowl's holoform was a tall, tan-skinned man, with long black hair in a queue and a closely-shaved goatee. He wore a gold headband and his sunglasses on his head, and all of this gave him a similar appearance to the _One Piece_ martial artist, Jyabura. He wore a long black coat with a gold trim over a black t-shirt and black pants with black boots over them. He had a pair of black motorcycle gloves, and a silver Autobot symbol identical to Bumblebee's around his neck. His eyes were the same brilliant blue that they always were.

Prowl nodded. "What are you doing here?" _I thought it was her, but what is she doing in a place like this?_

Emma looked troubled. "Umm..." Her first instinct was to say nothing, and to handle this by herself but, even as her mouth went to form the word 'nothing', her mind suddenly began formulating a plan that could, somehow, work. She would need the Autobot's help for it, though, and that would mean trusting them. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Prowl...I need your help." She said, looking directly at him for the first time, and feeling a jolt run through her entire body when she did. _Well, that was weird..._


	5. The Power Of Spark

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Mild level animated violence

. Adult themes

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE

The Power Of Spark

* * *

Damo Rennards had never met Victoria Greys face-to-face before, nor had he ever seen a picture of her. He understood that she was a very private, yet rich, woman, and that secrecy was everything in this shady and undercover world of the black market.

So, when he answered the door that night, to find a woman standing at his door and claiming to be Victoria Greys, he believed her. She was short but sharp-looking, speaking in the same cold tone that she always used with him on the phone, and dressed in a smart black business suit (the kind with a skirt) that made her look stylish and professional.

She was accompanied by three men, two which flanked her like her body-guards, and one which stayed by the green armored vehicle. Though the woman herself didn't look like much, the men she was with certainly _did_ - they looked like they could break his arm within a second, and that made Damo nervous.

However, Victoria herself seemed to be nervous as well, as she and her body-guards followed Damo deeper into the messy house. It didn't matter what the state of the house was, since Damo would be out of there within the next twenty four hours. He kept glancing at Victoria, who was picking at the nail of her thumb with her index finger. She hadn't actually said much since she'd arrived.

"What did you do to your hand?" Damo asked her, noticing the bandage wrapped around it.

Victoria didn't answer, but one of her bodyguards - the dark-skinned one - did. He stepped between Damo and Victoria, and said: "Would you like me to show you what happened?" Dark sunglasses hid his eyes from view, and something about the man's tone scared the Hell out of Damo, whom shook his head.

He pointed to a door. "In there. I...got some things I gotta take care of, mate. So, just do what you gotta do, yeah?"

"We will." Victoria said, in that same cold tone he despised.

Damo walked back down the hallway, thinking: _Just you wait, you bitch...this'll be one deal you wish you'd _never_ made..._

* * *

Once inside the room and with the door safely shut, Victoria, or rather _Emma_, let her facade drop and her shoulders sag.

"Dear God..." She muttered, before hurrying over to the cages along with Prowl and Optimus.

Optimus' holoform was tall, with dark brown hair, and a beard and a mustache that reminded Emma of her Father. He wore a dark blue jacket with a red trim and a grey t-shirt and blue jeans.

He and Prowl had both hidden their Autobot necklaces, and were acting as Emma's bodyguards.

Emma's phone, which was on silent, flashed to life, and she answered it. "Hello?" She whispered, knowing who it would be. In front of her, Prowl picked up the cage with the python, and the baby crocodile made a half-hearted snap at Optimus' hands.

"When do you suppose is the last time these animals refueled?" Optimus muttered.

"I think that's the least of their worries." Prowl said tightly.

"Emma?" Bumblebee's voice came over the phone. "Everything going according to plan?"

"You bet," Emma whispered. "We've infiltrated the house, we're just getting the animals out now. You?"

Bulkhead came in to help - his holoform was big and bulky but not in a fat way. He had a dark green haircut similar to Sokka from _Avatar_ but with no ponytail and more of a mohawk. He wore a dark green singlet and cargo pants, black gloves and a black utility belt. He picked up the cage with the two dingo pups, whom howled softly, and in a scared way. Bulkhead looked troubled, as he carried the cage out to his vehicle form. How this was accomplished, being able to have two forms, nobody knew. Nobody cared.

"We're almost at Greys Corp." Bumblebee replied. "We'll question Victoria Greys once we get there."

"Good." Emma said, going over to the echidna. She peered at it. "Uh, Bee? Hang on a minute..." She placed her phone down, before swiftly opening the cage. She had just noticed the blood on the cage floor where the echidna was curled up, and it scared her. She spotted an old cardigan on the table next to the echidna's cage, and used it to pick up the creature, which suddenly unrolled itself, startling her, but not as much as the blood on its stomach did. "Oh no..." Emma whispered. "You poor, unfortunate soul..."

"Not as much as you are." A voice said from behind her, and Emma spun around to see Damo pointing a gun directly at her head.

Emma froze.

"So, Victoria," Damo said coldly. "This is where our alliance ends - and I gain control of your assets." He sounded completely different from how he had before. Maybe because of the Remington derringer, .41 calibre percussion pistol he was pointing at her. Not that she knew its make or anything, but it looked scary. It wasn't the first time she'd seen a gun, but it was the first time she'd ever stared down the barrel of one, and it terrified her.

"What's going on?!" Bee's voice came over the phone. "Are you okay?!"

Damo suddenly fired a shot, which just missed Emma as she dived out of the way. Outside, the three Autobots were alerted to the danger by the bullet shattering the remnants of the glass window that Emma had peered through that very afternoon.

"_OPTIMUS_!" Emma yelled in desperation, as another shot was fired that just missed her head by centimeters and destroyed her mobile phone.

* * *

On the other side of the city, Bumblebee was stunned into silence, for probably the first time in his life.

"What just happened, kid?" Ratchet asked him. He was driving along beside him.

"Something bad!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "We should go back!"

"No!" Ratchet snapped. "We stick to the plan - I'm sure whatever it is, Prime and the others can handle it!" _How did I ever let myself get roped into this?_ "For now, we need to find this Victoria Greys and find out what her part is in all this!"

They pulled up around the corner from Greys Corp. Emma and Sari had gone onto the internet to look up this Victoria Greys, and discovered that she was the same Victoria Greys whom owned a multi-million dollar corporation that nearly rivaled the name of Sumdac (nearly). They had done their research, and knew that Victoria would be on the topmost floor of her company's building that night, hosting a small get-together for other millionaires, including Sari's Father. By some small chance, Isaac had managed to allow Sari to be allowed to come. She would feign some sort of illness, and Isaac would pretend to call for an ambulance, which is when Ratchet and Bumblebee would show up in their holoforms. The distraction with Sari's "illness" would allow Bumblebee to corner Victoria, and get the truth out of her.

It was a seamless plan on their end, but what was happening on the other end of the spectrum?

* * *

Optimus, Prowl and Bulkhead were about to re-enter to house to find out what was going on, when Damo came out the front door. He had one arm around Emma's throat, and the other pointed a gun at her head.

The three Autobot's froze.

"I dunno who you lot are," Damo was breathing heavily. "But I've waited too long for this break to let _anybody_ interfere with my plans!" There was a wild look in his eyes that none of them liked,

Bulkhead and Optimus exchanged a glance. They could have easily gotten the upper-servo in this situation, except for the fact that they did not harm humans. What should they do?

Prowl was staring at Emma and Damo and, after taking off his sunglasses, his blue eyes took in the scrapes on Emma's face, and the way she held an old cardigan to her chest. Prowl knew that there had been one animal left in the room, and guessed that she now had it clutched to her chest. Echidnas were spiky and, if not handled properly, could pierce their spines into human skin.

Prowl's gaze met Emma's, and he nodded slightly. Her eyes widened a little, and then she closed them. Prowl could see her concentrating, and noticed how pale she looked. She was probably berating herself for getting into this mess.

Prowl was also feeling worried - if something went wrong, then Damo could just pull the trigger. Something in Prowl's mind told him that terrible things would happen after that.

Prowl began walking backwards, very slowly. He was about five feet away from where the animals were in their cages.

He reached back with one hand, and felt for the cage latch, which he opened. He had no idea what animal he was about to release, but he hoped that it would be good...

* * *

"_Oww, oh, the pain, it hurts, it HURTS_!" Ratchet and Prowl heard Sari before they even reached the room she was in, which they found easy enough.

Ratchet's holoform was portly, with grey hair and grey facial stubble. He was dressed in a long white medic coat with a red cross on either shoulder, over light grey dress pants, a light grey shirt and a red tie. He had kind blue eyes, but he also wore a grumpy expression. "I thought she was just supposed to have a _mild_ stomachache...at the rate she's going, they'll think it's appendicitis!" He was in a bad mood because the teenager at the front desk had called him 'old man', and told him to chill out.

"Hey, maybe she could go for a job in theatre?" Bumblebee suggested.

Ratchet just rolled his eyes, and increased his pace. The two of them pushed through the door of the function room, and lots of people stared at them as they came in. As Ratchet headed over to where Sari and her Father were, Bumblebee scanned the crowd for Victoria.

"There you are..." He whispered, spying the beautiful red-haired woman. _Who would've guessed that such a rich lady would be doing something illegal..._

As if she sensed the Autobot's gaze, Victoria's grey eyes met Bumblebee's blue ones, and she quickly ducked out a side-door.

Bumblebee, without a moment's hesitation, followed her.

* * *

Bumblebee had expected some kind of chase, but he didn't expect Victoria to turn on him, like some kind of shark that just had its tail grabbed.

Bumblebee wasn't a ninja, so he wasn't expecting it - he ended up getting punched right in the face. This coming from a beautiful woman in a suit was completely unexpected.

"Who are you, and what is your business?" Victoria asked in a cold voice, standing much the way Prowl would if he was facing an enemy.

Bumblebee knew that there was only one way to handle this. He stared at her for a moment, before closing his eyes and resuming his robot-form.

He opened his optics, to see the stunned look on Victoria's face.

Bumblebee said: "Victoria Greys, you have a lot of explaining to do!"

Victoria recovered from seeing a boy turn into a robot, but didn't relax her pose as she glared at him. "You're one of those Autobots, aren't you? What exactly is it that you think I've done?"

"You know what it is!" Bumblebee replied. "Buying illegal animal imports is a crime, lady!"

Victoria's eyes widened slightly. "What on...how on earth do you know about this?" She hissed.

"I have my sources." Bumblebee replied coolly, thinking of Emma. He hoped that she was alright.

"Then they must not be very good ones." Victoria sounded just as cool. "If they were, then you would know that I have been working undercover for the police force for years. Look," she reached into the pocket of her trousers and pulled out a shiny ID. "You can ask Captain Fanzone - I have known him and his wife since college. We studied forensics together."

Bumblebee just stared at her. "Okay, so let's say you're a double-agent," the term sounded very familiar to him, but he'd never used it in a good context before. "What were you planning to do when you went to Damo's house?"

"Get the animals out and arrest that terrible man, of course." Victoria relaxed her pose slightly. She knew that the Autobot would not hurt her. There was also sincerity and truth ringing in her voice now, in place of the feigned coldness. "We've been after Damo Rennards for years." She sighed. "Every time somebody has him cornered, he manages to escape us."

"Why?" Bumblebee was starting to feel nervous. "What did he do?"

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," Victoria said. "But...Damo Rennards doesn't just smuggle in animals. He's a gun-runner. The reason he's managed to evade us for so long is that all evidence usually goes up in a blaze before we can even begin to examine it."

Bumblebee's energon ran cold. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and then he moved, but even he wasn't sure if he would be fast enough...

* * *

Emma could hardly breath, not just because of the tightness around her throat from Damo's arm, but also because of the fact that things were about to happen. Damo had his attention focused on Optimus and Bulkhead, so he didn't see when Prowl snuck back to Bulkhead's true form and unlatched a cage.

It was anybody's guess what was about to happen next, but when Prowl's gaze met Emma's, she shifted her foot into position, and then stomped down on Damo's foot.

It startled him but it wasn't enough to hurt him, and she heard his finger curl around the trigger as she swung around.

At the same time as she thrust the echidna right into Damo's face, she heard the gunshot, and felt something white hot graze her throat as she dived back into the house - and then Prowl threw a python at Damo.

Damo, with a face full of echidna stickers, suddenly found a fifteen kilogram Carpet Python on top of him, and said snake was _pissed_. In a second, it had wrapped around his leg and clamped its backwards-facing fangs around his stomach.

Damo screamed.

As Optimus and Prowl transformed, and the leader worked to get the angry snake off of the criminal without hurting either of them, Emma shakily tried to get up, and noticed the echidna lying next to her, not moving.

_No!_ She thought, grabbing it despite the spines, and that was when Prowl reached her.

Emma looked up at Prowl, and he recoiled slightly. She had blood on her face and dripping from her neck but, worse than that, her eyes were full of tears as she gasped: "I think it's dead!"

Prowl reached out a servo and clasped her shoulder for a second, before both of them, for some reason, looked over at the clock hanging from the wall.

It showed one minute to midnight and, where the pendulum should be, a complex-looking bomb swung precariously.

"A bomb!" Prowl and Emma yelled in unison, just as Optimus succeeded in detaching the python from Damo, whom immediately sprung up and lunged at Emma, pushing her down the stairs leading to the basement, and locking to door to there.

"_You have no idea what I am capable of_!" Damo shouted.

Emma was frozen by that stage, her heart pounding in her chest. _It can't end here...no..._

"_Nobody can save us now! We'll both die here together, and it's _**_all your fault_**!" Damo was beyond reasoning now, and his face looked like a cactus, as blood streamed from both their wounds, and the two doomed humans simply stared at each other...

* * *

"So wait," Sari, whom had completely recovered from her episode, and was wearing a frilly yellow dress that she hated, sat in the passenger seat of Bumblebee's alt mode, as they sped across town. "Lemme get this straight - Damo doesn't just smuggle animals...he's a _gun-runner_?"

"And now," Ratchet said over the com-link. "That kid has gone and gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble, just for a bunch of _animals_?"

"Hey!" Sari protested. "She's just patriotic, and cares about animals, too! Just like Prowl..." She mused.

"Yeah, and that environmentalist-nonsense could get them _all_ taken offline!" Ratchet responded angrily, but he was worried. "Don't go messing around with those sorts of criminals - why doesn't anybody ever listen to me?!"

"Ratchet," Bumblebee said in a patronizing way. "You worry too much," they pulled up out the front of number six Swamp Raod. "See, everything's fi-"

The house exploded.

* * *

Luckily, Optimus was right there to help fight the fire. Not so lucky was the news Bulkhead delivered to the others.

"_What_?!" Sari shrieked. "_Emma and Prowl are still in there_?!" Isaac and Bumblebee had to hold her back, and she was too scared to even protest as the intense heat from the flames forced them all back onto the other side of the road.

"There's no way anybody could survive that..." Victoria said flatly, checking the four animals in the back of Bulkhead's alt mode. "You all should have stayed out of this." She sounded cold, but her eyes showed how upset she was.

Sari began to sob silently.

Ratchet scanned the house. "No...wait...I'm still getting a reading from Prowl's energy-signature!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, when a dark shape was thrown from the house following a small explosion that sent debris flying. Two figures, one small and one big, crashed to the road, as the debris totaled Fanzone's car.

Everybody gasped, and hurried to the two figures.

Prowl and Emma lay on the road. They were covered in dirt and soot and scratches, and Emma was bleeding. Prowl opened his optics first, and the first words out of his mouth were: "Is Emma okay?"

She coughed in reply, but seemed unable to move. She clutched the spiky echidna to her chest, and tears fell from her closed eyes.

"I'm sorry!" She kept on saying, even as she was passing out again. "I'm so...sorry..."

* * *

Emma awoke slowly hours later, to find herself in the Autobot's base. She didn't know that Ratchet had decided to keep her here for observation, or that Sari had been ringing on the hour to find out what was going on. She felt sore and stiff, and had sticky plaster on her face and bandages around her neck and left arm.

But, she was alive.

She had survived.

She was lying on a small makeshift bed in one of the rooms at the Autobot's base, and suddenly Emma felt like Nami during the Alabasta Arc of _One Piece_, when Nami was sick and all of the crew was worried about her. All five of the Autobots were in Emma's room, and recharging in their holoforms.

Optimus was stationed by the door, sitting with his back against the doorframe.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee were sprawled out on the carpet in the middle of the room, with Bulkhead lying on his back and Bumblebee draped across his stomach, so that they formed some sort of cross.

Ratchet was sitting in a chair by Emma's bed, with his arms folded and his head drooping.

Prowl was the closest to her, and kneeling beside her bed with his head in his arms as he slept.

Emma stared at him, remembering how he had broken down the door, and pushed Damo out of the way before grabbing her and using his body to shield her as the first explosion seared all around them.

She reached out a shaking hand to touch his forehead, and that was when she saw, in a shaft of setting moonlight on the table by her bed, the still form of the echidna.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she would have been embarrassed if anybody had seen her crying. She got up carefully, and picked up the still marsupial, just as carefully. A blue light suddenly appeared in front of her, and somehow she knew just what it was.

Cradling the echidna in her arms, being careful of the spikes, she walked silently out of the room and down the hallway. She followed the ball of light into the room where the All-Spark was being kept.

Emma dropped to her knees before it, unawares that the Autobots had followed her. She held the echidna up.

"Primus...please...it doesn't deserve to die...please, save it..." Emma whispered, still not aware of the Autobots' presence behind her. "I don't know why I'm here, but I think that you brought me here, so please, _please_ help me!" Tears were falling from her face, getting beneath the bandages and stinging her cuts, but she didn't care. "I don't know what to do...I don't want to fail, whatever it is..."

The All-Spark answered her by glowing even brighter than it had before and, as all six present watched in shock, a distorted hand reached from within the All-Spark, and touched the top of Emma's head, before holding itself flat in front of her. Wordlessly, she placed the echidna in the palm of the blue hand, and it and the echidna began to glow.

Sparkling... a deep, calming voice said from the All-Spark. I know that you will not fail...have faith in yourself, for once...and, trust those around you...don't be afraid to ask for help, as you asked for their help wih what you have just accomplished. Do not be afraid, my sparkling...

The echidna suddenly stood up slowly, blinking its big eyes and looking at Emma in surprise.

Emma gasped. "You-you're okay!" She reached for the echidna, and took it from the hand. "Oh, thank you, Primus!"

The hand drew back, and then pointed behind her.

"Hmm?" Emma turned, to see the Autobots standing there staring at her. "Augh! H-how long have you been standing there?!"

"Long enough." The five of them said in unison.

Emma cringed, and the echidna blinked.

* * *

After taking a phone-call from Sari to assure the little red-head that everything really was okay, and to apologize, Emma apologized to the Autobots until Ratchet told her to stop it. He gruffly explained her injuries to her, and told her not to let it happen again, or else.

Emma wanted to know what had happened, so Bumblebee filled her in on his side, saying that Victoria was a good person and had helped them, before adding that the dingo pups; python and crocodile had all gone to the zoo thanks to her.

"We'll have to go and visit them..." Emma mused, swinging her legs out in front of her and watching the echidna nose around on the floor of the warehouse, looking for grubs. "But...I want to keep this little fella. He's special." She said.

Ratchet groaned. "Oh, _terrific_." He said, but everybody else thought that it was a good idea.

"What are you gonna call him?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"Scuz Bag." Emma replied simply.

The Autobots stared at her.

"What?" She blinked. "I was gonna go for Swampy, after the street, but Scuz Bag is a name my family and I use...oh! Th-that reminds me! I need to know something!"

"Warn us next time you change topic, kid..." Ratchet rolled his eyes.

"Umm..." Emma looked at Prowl, embarrassed. "Thank you, Prowl. For...saving my life. Thank you."

"It was...nothing." Prowl said, sounding awkward.

The two of them stared at each other, before looking away.

"Hey...did anybody see what happened to Damo?" Bumblebee asked, saving Prowl and Emma from the awkwardness of the conversation.

Optimus said: "Nobody could have survived that explosion. It's just a miracle that Prowl and Emma did."

The others were silent, thinking about this. It was a horrible way to go out. Prowl and Emma were especially quiet at that point. Neither of them knew it, but both was just happy that the other was okay...

* * *

In the ruins of number six Swamp Road, Damo groaned. He looked a right mess, with quills in his face and blood all over him. His left arm was missing.

Damo lay in the rubble, waiting to die.

A figure appeared from the shadows, right where the dying man lay.

"Hello, Damo Rennards." The new person had a deeply calm and polite voice, but one that was tinted with danger. "I am here to save you."

"Wha...?" Damo's eyes suddenly opened wide, as something cold and sharp sank into his neck. He would have screamed, but the polite-voiced man clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Now...let's get you out of the sun, before we both burn up..." He dragged Damo down, into the shadows...


	6. Dancing Queen

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER SIX

Dancing Queen

* * *

Ratchet folded his arms. "Okay then, kid, try and move your fingers."

Emma wriggled the fingers of her left hand, trying not to wince at the pain that she felt from that simple action.

Ratchet was not fooled. "You _will_ keep it bandaged until I say so, understood?" He said firmly.

"Aww, but...it's been, like five days! That's an entire working week!" Emma complained, as Ratchet retied the bandage over her sprained wrist. Most of her injuries had healed up, with the exception of the sprained wrist and the graze on her neck from the bullet. "Will I ever play the piano again?" She asked.

Ratchet gave her a Look. "Only if you were able to play it before, kid."

"I have a n-name, you know." Emma responded.

"And I have a limit to my patience." Ratchet responded, just as Sari came in carrying Scuz Bag, or Scuz as he was now often referred to as.

"Sari, did you do your homework?" Emma wanted to know.

Sari blinked. "Y-yeah, of...course I...did..." She handed a work-book to Emma.

"Very good." Emma praised her, wondering which machine Sari had reprogrammed to do the assignment for her. As Sari held Scuz up, Emma watched as the echidna latched onto the girl's red hair, and decided to perch himself in between her pigtails like some kind of a spiky hat. Emma; Sari and Ratchet walked out into the main room of the base, in time to hear Optimus say that Bumblebee was supposed to do some training with Prowl and Bulkhead today.

"But...I had plans with Bumblebee." Sari protested. "Remember that prototype I told you my Dad was building?" She grinned at Bumblebee, and pulled a remote control out of her pocket, which opened a roller-door to reveal a pair of shiny yellow and black turbo boosters.

"Sari..." Emma said blankly. "_Why_ do they just _happen_ to be Bee's _exact_ colour scheme?"

The red-head shrugged.

"Turbo boosters!" Bumblebee was thrilled. "Su-weet!"

"You're not actually thinking of hooking these things up to yourself, are you?" Optimus asked him.

"Oh, of course not!" Bumblebee looked over his shoulder. "I was gonna ask the Doc-Bot to do it for me." He grinned.

Ratchet, of course, was not going to go for it, and used his electric-powers to confiscate the turbo boosters.

Sari was affronted. "My Dad's equipment is perfectly safe!" She crossed her arms.

Emma, remembering the next part of the episode, stifled her giggle, but couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Prowl, coming into the room, noticed this, but didn't call it out - it was rare getting a smile out of their newest human friend, and it could turn to her usual expressionless look just as swiftly. Instead, he said: "Prime, you wanted me to train Bulkhead and Bumblebee today?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes...work on...well, work on what we talked about..."

Prowl nodded knowingly, and then glanced at Emma. "Do you want to come?"

Emma looked startled. "M-me? On a m-motorcycle?"

Sari glanced at her.

"Oh, well, I didn't mean..." Prowl held up his hands. "I mean, if you don't want to..."

Sari glanced at him.

"N-no, that's not it, I'm s-sorry if that made it sound like..." Emma stammered.

Sari turned her head back to Emma.

"It's alright if you want to stay," Prowl reassured her. "I understand completely."

Sari watched him walk out of the warehouse, followed by Bulkhead, and Bumblebee whom was still pouting.

Emma didn't look very happy either, and walked off without a word, but she didn't see that Prowl glanced over his shoulder before he left, and saw her walking away, but Sari saw...

_Hmm..._ Sari thought, and then she had an idea. She immediately whipped out her phone from her other pocket, and pressed the speed-dial number. "Hello?" She said when somebody answered. "Dad? I need a favor..."

* * *

At the same time, Emma was staring at the new phone she had been given. It was grey and sleek and shiny and probably cost more than her house back home. She had a number in there, but she wasn't sure if she should call it or not.

Closing her eyes, Emma thought back to a time she had almost forgotten about...

* * *

_Thirteen years ago..._

_"Bill, bill, postcard from June," Lee was going through the mail, one rainy evening before her husband got home from work. The kids were doing their homework at the bench, as she multitasked by cooking, watching The Bold And The Beautiful _and_ sorting through all the mail _at the same time_. "Bill, catalogue, ad for some karate classes..."_

_"Ooh!" Emma's head snapped up from those dreaded long division problems. "Karate! Mum, lemme see!" She grabbed the advert from her Mother. Her hazel eyes excitedly scanned the paper, which promised to teach self-confidence and discipline, as well as being fun, and a fraction of the cost of most other schools. "This is just like what Clinton does!" Emma said, referring to her cousin. "Can I do this Mum, pleeeaaase? I've always wanted to be a ninja and learn to do all that cool stuff you see on TV." _Plus,_ the little girl thought, a little sobered by what she'd just remembered,_ it will mean that I can teach that Rebecca Winslow (I mean, Winrow) a lesson. She scares me, and she hits me too, but, if I knew martial arts, then I could stand up for myself! _She did a few pretend punches into the air, and pretended that she was hitting her bully back for all the bruises she'd gotten. She wouldn't have to run and hide in the girls bathrooms anymore - no, she could stand up for herself _without_ getting hurt!_

_"No, Emma." Lee said firmly, taking the advert from her youngest daughter and placing it, the catalogue, and the postcard all in the bin._

_"Why not?!" Emma exclaimed, stopping mid-punch and staring at her Mother._

_"Because all you want to do is be like things you see on TV, and you can't do that sort of thing." Lee replied, adding carrots to the soup pot._

_"But," Emma complained. "They would teach me, and I..."_

_"You heard me," Lee said crossly. "My answer is no. We can't afford it and, besides," she gazed sternly at her daughter. "Your maths grades are slipping, and you need to study more. That's what Mrs. Oliver said." She was worried that Emma would fall behind if she didn't pick up her maths grades. The child was so good at everything else, but maths seemed to be her one area of weakness. Hopefully, when she got to year four, she'd be alright._

_"But Mum," the child was not going to give up without a fight! "Maybe if I took these lessons..."_

_"Then what?" Emma's older sister, Sarah, looked up from her social studies book. "You'd suddenly get smarter, like one of those Ninja Turtles?" She snickered._

_"You're not a Ninja Turtle, Emma." Lee rolled her eyes. "So, stop acting like one, and finish your homework." A quick glance showed that only half of the problems were completed, and some of them were wrong._

_"But Mum," Emma said, and Lee's patience began to wear thin. "_Clinton_ gets to take lessons, and Krystal's parents let her take drama and T-Ball, and Mayling's parents let her take piano lessons, and..."_

_"_Then go and live with them_!" Lee cried, finally fed up with Emma's whining. "I said no, and that's final!"_

_Emma immediately burst into tears. "This is the worst day of my life!" She declared, before running to her room, past her Father whom was coming home from a long day of work at the bank._

_"What's the matter?" Emma heard her Father, Bruce, say._

_"Oh, Emma wanted to take some martial arts lessons, and I said no." Lee sighed. "Honestly, what is _wrong_ with that child? She gets to go to Bali, we give her everything she bloody asks for..."_

_"And, she's still a brat?" Sarah suggested helpfully._

_"Sarah, don't help." Lee said sternly. "You're her sister. If you don't want to turn out like Aunty Bev and I, then you need to start being a bit nicer to Emma. She's the only sister you've got." She reminded her eldest. Lee never admitted it, but she was a lot more lenient with her eldest child, and they had a lot more in common - Sarah was starting to get into fashion and make-up and boys (that last part scared Lee a bit, though). Emma, on the other hand, was more like Bruce - she loved all those shark books and Dr. Dreadful kits, and if you asked her where she knew something from, chances are she'd say that she read it in a book._

_Sarah said: "Yeah, right. Did you know that she still watches Sailor Moon and ABC? It's no wonder they don't like her at school."_

_"Sarah, _enough_." Bruce said and, this time, Sarah shut up._

_In her room, Emma buried her face in her pillow and, with one hand, turned up the volume on the CD player she'd just been allowed to have, turning up her favourite AQUA song, which happened to be Turn Back Time. Music always made her feel better..._

_In the back of her mind, however, she was picturing something, and she wasn't sure if she'd seen it in a dream or not. Ninja robots? Then again, she and her Dad had been watching Neon Genesis Evangelion on SBS on Thursday nights, so she supposed it must've been because of that..._

* * *

In the present time, Emma opened her eyes again, and looked at her phone.

"I didn't get a chance to do it then," she whispered, pressing the dial button. "But this time..."

The phone was answered on the first ring.

"Hello, Victoria Greys speaking."

* * *

The silver car picked Emma up from the corner of Secret Avenue and Conspiracy Lane. The man driving did not say anything to her, and she did not say anything to him. Actually, she couldn't see him, since there was a screen separating them. There was something strange about the car, not to mention the silence, but it was good, because it gave her time to think, as she was driven across town to Victoria's home.

Home...mansion...same difference.

Emma was escorted into the main foyer, which featured a sweeping stair case and crystal chandelier, by a maid. She was taken out the back to the garden, where Victoria appeared to be having a cup of tea with Captain Fanzone and his wife. Fanzone's wife was plump as well, and had curly blonde hair.

"Oh..." Emma immediately slammed on the brakes, and took a step back. The three of them looked up at her. "Uh...I didn't mean to..."

"It is quite alright." Victoria said calmly, smiling slightly. "I will merely be assessing you today, that is all." She explained to her blonde-haired friends: "Miss. Emma has asked me to teach her my style of martial arts."

"Good." Fanzone said simply. "I always saw kids should learn how to look after themselves. My kid does."

That interested Emma. "Y-you have a child?" She asked, smiling shyly at Fanzone's wife, whom nodded.

"Victoria was the one whom taught our Flora how to fight." The blonde-haired woman smiled back.

Victoria nodded. "If Emma passes my test, then I will teach her."

"T-test?" Emma stammered, feeling like the floor was about to drop out from underneath her.

"Do not worry." Victoria assured her. "It will not be difficult, though there is a higher chance that I will _not_ be able to teach you..."

"Oh." Emma felt defeated already, but she followed Victoria into the house, and to a room that reminded her instantly of Japan.

A young man was waiting for them. He had silvery blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and was dressed in a wudang uniform. He was very good-looking, but seemed wise beyond his years.

"Emma, this is my master, Sai." Victoria said carefully, and bowed. Sai bowed first to Victoria, and then to Emma. She startled, and then bowed back, deeply. "Sai will be able to determine whether or not you can be taught." Victoria explained, straightening up.

Sai smiled, but Emma felt nervous. What would she have to do?

Sai held out his hand just then, and Emma stared at it in confusion. Sai reached forwards slowly, and took her hand.

Sai closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating and, as he did, Emma felt something ice-cold slip from his hand to hers. It shot up her arm, and into her head like a freezing black blade, and then back down to her hand. He didn't release her hand.

Emma looked to Victoria for guidance, but the businesswoman was staring hard at her master.

He suddenly released her hand, and the cold thing snapped off.

He stood there, with his eyes still closed. The sunlight streamed in through the blinds, creating little stars of dust everywhere.

"Master?" Victoria was smiling that slight smile again. Emma couldn't imagine how she had ever underestimated the woman, and realised that she had judged her completely wrong.

Sai opened his eyes, which were sparkling, but he also smiled just slightly, and met Victoria's gaze. He nodded.

Emma smiled, and tried to keep from yelling in happiness. "R-really?" She bowed again. She didn't understand what that sensation had been, though...

Sai bowed back to her, still smiling.

"Your lessons will begin next week," Victoria told Emma, as they walked out of the room, leaving Sai behind. "But, I must ask that you do not tell anybody about the nature of our agreements, understood?"

"Oh! Y-yes, of course." Emma nodded. "I won't tell anybody..."

"Very good." Victoria nodded, just as Fanzone and his wife met up with them.

"Gotta go." Fanzone said, by way of greeting. He looked at Emma. "Seems your Autobot buddies are involved in a scuffle with a speedy-little crook."

Emma thought quickly, and then recalled Nanosec. "C-can I get a ride?" She asked, following them out to the Bumblebee-doppleganger.

Fanzone opened the door. "Get in, then."

"Can I sit in the front?"

"No."

* * *

Victoria watched them leave, and then sensed when Sai came up behind her. She turned to look at him. He wasn't just her master - he was her best friend, and somebody whom had been with her since she was a little girl. He hadn't changed much, though.

"You know that girl, don't you?" Victoria asked softly.

Sai nodded. He could not say anything, for the power of speech had been taken from him long ago.

"But...she doesn't remember...?"

Sai shook his head, and Victoria sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. She had not expected this, when the Autobot team first came to earth, that things would begin to happen again. They had been static for so long... "So...not even she knows who she is...maybe she'll find out...?"

* * *

"_Em-ma_..." Sari said slyly, waltzing into Emma's room.

Emma turned around slowly, from where she'd been monitoring her computer the next day.

"_Yes_?" Emma asked suspiciously. What was the little kid up to? She was wearing her scheming face...

Sari held up a box from a shop called _Dress For Success_. "Put this dress on and meet me downstairs at five o'clock."

"Why would I do that?" Emma blinked as Sari placed the box on her bed and danced towards the door.

"Oh...because my Dad's hosting a pre-Halloween ball." Sari smiled. "Oh, and the Autobots are coming, too..."

"_What_?!" Emma fairly shrieked, but Sari just took off down the hallway, giggling.

Emma sat back down again, and sighed. "What was _that_ all about?" She asked nobody in particular, before her eyes slid over to the box on her bed. She cringed, remembering her school ball, but also knowing that there was no escape. She decided to have a shower, first. She watched as Scuz waddled over to the box and sniffed at it, before curling up into a ball.

Emma nodded. "I know, right?"

* * *

Megatron had patched into the electronic devices in the house, but he hadn't expected to get a live feed straight from the hair-dryer bathroom, and he kind of wished he hadn't. True, it was so steamy in there that he couldn't really see anything, but that wasn't really the point now, was it? Who _was_ this femme that had shifted in with the Sumdacs? Megatron didn't like the idea of even more of these horrible organics moving in...

"_Kurikaesu ai no uta daisuki na sono koe de  
atashi no mae ni zutto todokete ite yo MERODI..._"

What was this? Oh, the organic was singing. It was what the organics would call good, but usually Megatron would just find it annoying.

Except...  
"_Furikaeru sono saki ni itsu datte ite hoshii  
uruwashiki hito yo itsu made mo soba ni ite..._"

There was something...eerily _familiar_ about this organic's voice...

Megatron couldn't quite place it, though...  
"_Tomenaide ai no uta eien no sono MERODI  
atashi no mae de zutto utatte ite onegai  
kono mune ga tomaru made kono toki ga owaru made  
sou ippai no ai de atashi no omoi wo uketomete_..."

Who _was_ she...?

The organic suddenly grabbed a towel and stepped up to the mirror, apparently finished with her cleaning session.

If Megatron had still had a proper spark, it probably would have stopped beating. True, this human was just the same as any of them, and humans were nothing to Megatron,

Just...her eyes...they were...

_It can't be...not here..._

* * *

_I can't _believe_ I let Sari talk me into this..._ Emma thought, walking down the hallway towards the ballroom. _Why the Hell does he even _have_ a ballroom?! Oh, I suppose he's rich, he can do whatever he wants..._

Emma had no idea if she was going the right way, so she decided to bite the bullet and ask for directions. She spied a group of girls around her own age, wearing colourful dresses and standing around talking.

She walked up to them, and said: "Umm, ex-excuse me, c-could you please tell me wh-where the ballroom is?" Her hand was at her throat again, which had constricted as the girls turned to gaze at her.

"We don't know." One girl, a beautiful dark-haired girl in a blue dress, said rudely. She had a look on her face that spoke superior and arrogant.

"Oh, okay, th-thanks anyway." Emma said quickly, and hurried away, stopping around the corner to collect her thoughts.

"Who on earth was _that_?" One of the girls, an African-American in an orange dress, wanted to know.

"Who knows?" A blonde with big assets and a low-cut red dress to show them off, laughed a little. "She looked terrified, though!"

"Be nice, Charlie," the dark-haired girl was smirking. "If you looked like that, then you'd be scared too. Scared, plain and short!"

All of the girls giggled.

_Are you kidding me?!_ Emma thought. _This is just like high-school all over again...these girls don't even know me!_

She glanced at her reflection in the window, however. She was wearing a white prom dress with a high embellished neck line on a flowing skirt accented with a slit opening at the bust. She had washed and brushed her hair to within an inch of its life, and let it flow across her shoulders. She wasn't wearing makeup - she had no idea really how to put it on, save for a tiny dab of pinkish-red lipstick. She wore three white earrings in each ear, which went from biggest at the bottom and then got smaller. Hidden beneath her dress was the yellow crystal her Dad had given her, one which she never took off.

Emma thought that, compared to those girls, she _did_ look plain, and wished she'd worn some heels, even though she couldn't walk in them.

She sighed. She should just go back up to her room and feign sickness, or something. But, before that thought could completely establish itself in her mind, a smaller hand grabbed her wrist.

Emma jumped, and then looked down into the maroon eyes of Sari Sumdac. The little red-head was wearing a pretty yellow dress that included a scarf-like sash at the back. Her eyes were sparkling. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on!" She tugged on Emma's hand. "Everybody's waiting for you!"

"Ah, no, wait, Sari, I feel sick!" Emma exclaimed.

"Too bad! Just don't get sick on the person you're dancing with!" Sari shrugged.

"Sari!"

* * *

As Emma was dragged into the ballroom by Sari, it looked pretty much the way she had expected.

"Sari, this really isn't my scene!" Emma tried to say, but Sari either didn't hear her or chose to ignore this. Her mind was focused on other things.

Bad images flashed back from her year twelve ball, and she tried to push them to the back of her mind as Sari expertly guided her over to where the Autobots were waiting.

Emma's breath hitched in her throat - they looked so _cool_!

Somebody (probably Sari) had managed to get them all into suits, and this was a remarkable feat indeed. Optimus' was a dark blue jacket and pants, with a white shirt and red tie. Bulkhead's was deep green with a silver tie. Ratchet's was light grey, with a red shirt and a white tie. Bumblebee's was, of course, all in the colour scheme of black and yellow. Emma wondered if it was because it suited him, or if it was because that was _Sari's_ favourite colour scheme.

She glanced at Prowl, and immediately wished that she hadn't.

He wore all black, but his tie was gold, and so was the lining of his jacket, which also had gold pads on the shoulders.

He looked like a prince.

_Whoa, hey, stop that right now, girl!_ Emma scolded herself. _That is _not_ acceptable!_

Emma gasped suddenly when she recognized the song that had just started to play. "S-Sari! You stole my I-Pod, or...?"

"Your computer, actually." Sari shrugged. She was grinning. "You have a great playlist, except for all that heavy metal stuff on there."

"Hey! I _like_ my heavy metal!" Emma protested. _Oh God, why did it have to be an Elvis Presley song she chose?_

She wondered if she was just going to stand around looking awkward all night, as Sari and Bumblebee decided to dance. They looked so cute together, so she watched them for a bit. Bulkhead went over to the food table - a miracle of their holoforms was that they could eat. Bulkhead seemed to enjoy it. Ratchet grumbled about this being a big pain in the rear-fender, and immediately located a chair in which to sit. He sat there grumpily, and was presently joined by a few other old guys. They proceeded to glare at all the dancers. People gave them a wide berth. Optimus, Emma and Prowl awkwardly stood there, until Optimus turned to Emma and said, for the sake of not standing there awkwardly anymore: "Would you, uh, care to dance?"

Emma gulped. Her Nanna had taught her how to dance before she died, but Emma had never really used it, not even when the school had forced everybody to take (and pay for) dancing lessons, but nobody had danced at the ball that way.

Now, however, it was going to pay off, as she took Optimus' hand and allowed him to lead her through a dance.

Prowl watched his leader dance with their newest human friend. Both of them were actually looking at their feet as they danced, and Prowl could see Optimus mouthing the step-beats silently. They danced well, however - Emma was lighter and more graceful on her feet than what Prowl would have expected, and this was probably because she was wearing flats.

_Or, maybe not_, Prowl thought, as he watched Optimus and Emma perform the stop-spin move that was probably more suited to swing dance but looked good anyway. Optimus was glad that Sari had made them all download a version of Derrick Curtis and Trudie Olsen-Curtis' dance videos. Emma was glad that her dress seemed to be doing that cool twirly thing that didn't make this all seem so bad. Oh, and she was thankful to her Nanna, too.

Prowl watched them dance for two songs, and that was when Sari made her move. She hustled over to the absolutely massive music player that had Emma's computer hooked up to it, and selected The Song.

* * *

When Emma heard _Time Of My Life_, from Dirty Dancing, start up, she immediately thought: _Sari...what are you up to?_

And, that was when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned to see Prowl, standing there, looking calm all of a sudden, which was more than could be said for how _she_ was feeling.

"May I have this dance?" Prowl asked her.

Emma couldn't speak - there was sawdust in her mouth all of a sudden. So, she just nodded, and allowed Prowl to take her by the hands.

If possible, Prowl had studied these steps even better than Optimus had, or maybe it was because of his cyber-ninja training.

Sari nodded to the lights-bot, which set the lighting to a sort of sparkly blue.

As Emma and Prowl danced, the light glittered off his Autobot symbol around his neck, and the sparkles on Emma's dress.

_What is this weird feeling?_ Emma found herself thinking. _Why on earth is Prowl dancing with _me_? This can't be...it would be great if it was...maybe...I'll just allow myself to dream...just for tonight...that it's something more...sheesh, I fell quickly, didn't I?_

She was silently berating herself for this, something she wasn't quite sure of herself yet. Every time she liked somebody, it always turned out bad. She'd never had a boyfriend, never had a guy interested in her. That just...simply didn't happen to people like her.

Prowl was smiling slightly, and so was Emma, as he had her left hand in his right hand, and they spun away from each other, breaking eye contact for just a moment.

Prowl looked over to see Sari grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and Bumblebee giving him the thumbs up. Optimus was smiling in a proud way, like he was some sort of proud Father or something.

Emma looked over to see the girls from before. Their mouths were agape in shock, and she saw them mouthing things like 'Autobot' and 'handsome'.

Emma's smile widened, and she allowed herself to be brought back. She was pressed against Prowl's chest for a moment, and could feel the heat from his heart (spark?) against the space on her back between her shoulder blades.

Emma's own heart was pounding in her chest...whether it was from the exertion of doing more physical exercise than she had in months, or something else, neither of them knew.

Emma stepped away from Prowl, following the beat of the song, and he looked at her. Her face was flushed.

Something indefinite passed between them just then, it sent a jolt that was both electrifying and calming at the same time.

It was familiar to Prowl, but completely foreign to Emma, and even more so when he picked her up, the same way Johnny does with Baby in _Dirty Dancing_.

"Whoa..." Sari had wide eyes, as did Bumblebee. Optimus looked surprised, but amused at the same time. "I did _not_ expect that..."

The song ended, and Emma and Prowl looked at each other. Prowl was smiling, and Emma was breathing heavily, her fingers up to her mouth in an embarrassed way.

"Who taught you how to dance like that?" Prowl wanted to know.

"My Nanna." Emma replied quietly. She didn't feel like saying much else on the subject, since her Nanna had favored her older sister, but had still called Emma 'little lamb', and spoilt her completely. That was what Nanna's were for.

Prowl nodded knowingly, before he was swamped by a gaggle of girls, much to Emma's disbelief.

But, even _more_ so, was when she herself was approached by multiple men, and it was more than a little overwhelming for the girl that hadn't even wanted to _come_!

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, as the next song started.

"I am sorry, gentlemen, but this lady is already taken." The voice said smoothly, before pulling her into a waltz...

* * *

Megatron was watching the entire party through the eyes of the light-bot, and saw all of it. He saw as the cyber-ninja in his holoform danced with the girl, and noted with some interest something passing between them.

He also saw when the smooth-voiced man approached Emma, and took her in his arms to dance. It didn't look like much, but there was a strength in his grip that Emma could not escape from - he was strong, and he was good at making it look like he wasn't.

Hannah Fury began to sing and, for the first time in a long time, Megatron began to slightly panic...

_The light in your eyes beckons to me_

_It beckons so quietly, but I hear it clearly_

_You start walking towards me_

_Taking my breath and_

_fearlessly setting me free_

_Oh, I feel it being drawn out_

_The blood flowing steadily into your mouth_

_This dark night, cruel and cold_

What was _he_ doing here? How did he have a holoform? Shoulder-length black hair, and steady dark eyes. Eyes that were like two black tunnels, ones that draw you in and didn't ever let you go.

_You whisper softly, "Honey,_

_you'll never grow old"_

_Looking back at the crowd_

_Back at the party_

_I step outside and disappear swiftly_

_Oh, I feel it being drawn out_

_The pain of life fading, going down south_

_Lost in the wake of my wedding_

_And caught here at these old crossroads_

_I can never leave_

_I think I've been fooled_

_Why am I not dressed in white?_

Megatron could see that _he_ was speaking to the organic he was dancing with, and she was speaking back to him, although her skin had turned pale and, Megatron imagined, very cold.

As cold as _his_ skin...

_With eyes full of glory and wine_

_I'll be your eternal bride_

_I'll be here forever_

_Here, on this night_

_Why am I not dressed in white?_

_I need you near me_

_I think I've been fooled_

_I need you near me_

_I think I've been fooled_

_You carry me over the crossroads_

_And I'm lost on this cold, dark night_

_Find more similar lyrics on_

_Why am I not dressed in white?_

_I carry a mandrake in my bouquet_

_And I shiver when it screams_

_I carry a mandrake in my bouquet_

_And I shiver when it screams_...

Megatron's circuitry (or, what was left of it) was cold. This couldn't be happening. _He_ couldn't be here...the one responsible for all this...the truest of all evils...

Dancing with the angel...

_The light in your eyes is still calling to me_

_Taking my whole world and setting it spinning_

_Knowing my weakness, the_

_spark lies in the sand_

_Taking my hand, you lead me into the dance_

_Oh, I feel it being drawn out_

_My soul is rushing right into your mouth_

_How could you take me away from the party?_

_I think I've been fooled_

_How could you take me away from the party?_

Megatron had done many bad things since becoming leader of the Decepticons. But, all of that, could never _ever_ amount to the things that this one being, with the smooth voice, had done...

If Megatron's suspicions were accurate, then this was _really_ bad...

_I think I've been fooled_

_I need you near me_

_I think I've been fooled_

_I carry a mandrake in my bouquet_

_And I shiver when it screams_

_I need you near me_

_I think I've been fooled_

_I carry a mandrake in my bouquet_

_And I shiver when it screams_

_With eyes full of lust and light_

_I'll be your eternal bride_

_I'll be here forever_

_Here, on this night_

_Oh, why am I not dressed in white?_

_Something is not right_

_Will the light spark?_

There was only one thing that Megatron would do...

He activated his control over the entire Sumdac Tower and, in an instant, the entire Sumdac Tower was thrown into darkness, and then a few lights exploded.

Well, a lot of lights.

people began screaming, the entire party was thrown into disarray and, luckily, Emma was separated from her dance partner, to be found by Sari and the Autobots.

She was pale, and none of them knew why.

"I feel sick." Emma said weakly to Sari. "Really..."

Sari's eyes widened. "Oh...okay, you should go to bed..."

Emma nodded, and glanced at the Autobots. "Goodnight, and thanks...Prowl..." She practically ran from the room, her dress billowing out behind her and making her look like a ghost.

It would be a long time before she revealed what had transpired between her and that stranger on that most fateful night.

It was their first contact in a long time, and she wished that it had never happened...

She closed her eyes that night, and tried to think about Prowl...

Her heart still felt tingly...

* * *

The songs:

watch?v=8l0TfbeYgtU&feature=related - Uruwashiki Hito, get to the theme song, it's the short version but that's it. It's precious.

watch?v=JMabVZVi2hc - Vampire Waltz.

Emma's Dress: . ?ProductCode=2012page054

Sari's Dress: . ?ProductCode=2012uniquefashionsuf159f

Derrick Curtis & Trudie Olsen-Curtis: watch?v=dFtvBrvUlRU&feature=relmfu

(OMG, that guy's Jazz!)...


	7. Still There For Me

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN

Still There For Me

* * *

Sari glared at Emma, and Emma glared right back at her.

"Sari," Emma began, wondering how to phrase this without sounding like her Mother. "School - or, in your case, homework and home-schooling - is _not_ an option. You _must_ do your homework, okay?" She was feeling uncomfortable by the situation - she didn't like confrontations.

Sari, however, was getting geared up for an argument. "I did the assignment!"

Emma crossed her arms. "Sari, taking a photo of Optimus when he's seen a spider and freaked out is _not_ doing your assignment! I told - asked - you to write a _report_ on a dangerous creature, not hang out with the Autobots all day and then take a photo at the very last second!" _Is this how my Mother felt when I would surf the internet for anime instead of studying? No wonder she never let me use a computer up until recently..._

"But," Sari protested. "I was using...visual aids!"

"Which is very creative," Emma said patiently. "But, not what the assignment asked of you. You're not incapable, Sari, you just need to focus." She sighed. _I don't sound very much like my Mother - she would have asked me if I was a slow-learner, and couldn't grasp the simple concepts..._

"You sound like Prowl." Sari pouted, and Emma blinked. "I'll do the assignment, but not today or tomorrow - it's Halloween tomorrow, _remember_?" She reminded Emma.

Emma remembered. It was her first _real_ Halloween, and she even had a costume. It had taken her awhile to come up with one, but she was happy with the outcome (she hadn't sewn it herself, of course, since her skills with a sewing machine were not at all like her best friend back home - Krystal, whom was a semi-professional seamstress, would have been impressed by the costume Emma had thrown together from bargain bins across town).

However, Sari was missing the point of this conversation, but before Emma could continue it, Isaac walked in, to see his daughter and her Nanny, both of them with their hands on their hips now, glaring at each other.

"Uh...what is going on here?" Isaac asked timidly.

Emma was picking at her thumb-nail, as she said: "Umm, Sari and I were just having a little chat about her, umm, homework that she...d-didn't do..." She looked down, feeling like she was the one in trouble.

Sari glared at her.

Isaac sighed. "Sari, how many times have I told you, you _must_ keep up with your studies if you want to continue to hang out with your Autobot friends."

"But Dad..." Sari complained.

"But nothing, Sari," Isaac was firm. "If you do not do your assignment by tomorrow, then you will not be allowed to go out trick-or-treating." Sari's eyes widened in shock. "Do you understand?"

Sari's shoulders sunk. "Yes, Dad." She said, in a small voice, which was a stark contrast to what happened next. As soon as Isaac had left the room, the little red-head turned to her Nanny, and cried: "Why did you have to go and tell him that?!"

"Because he t-trusts me to oversee your studies, Sari!" Emma said, her voice going slightly high-pitched, the way it always did when she was upset. "I w-want to keep a roof over my head!"

"This isn't about you!" Sari cried. "This is about M-E - my enjoyment! I want to go trick-or-treating with Bumblebee and Bulkhead tomorrow night!"

"Then, just _do_ the assignment, Sari!" Emma exclaimed. "Then we can go!"

"I'll do the assignment," Sari was practically screaming by this stage. "And go trick-or-treating with my _guardians_," she was referring to Bumblebee and Bulkhead. "_But you can't come_!" She turned on her heel and ran from Emma's bedroom, calling: "I'm staying at the Autobot's base tonight and tomorrow night!"

"Make sure you take your assignment with you!" Isaac called from somewhere nearby.

"I KNOW already!" Sari shouted, and dearly wished that she had a bedroom door that she could slam. She settled for grabbing her suitcase and stomping outside as loudly as she could.

Emma stood at the window and watched her, feeling upset by the argument they had just had. They'd never argued before, and it made her feel...small, and insignificant.

"All this over a simple report?" Emma shook her head, and Scuz clung to her hair. "School's bad for you, Scuz Bag. Come on, let's feed you..." She walked sadly past her costume, which was hanging from a coat-hanger on her wardrobe door. _I didn't even get a chance to wear it...that's so unfair...I'm not going by myself, though!_

* * *

"So, how come _you're_ here, kid?" Ratchet wanted to know, as Sari parked herself on the couch for an evening of video games with Bumblebee and Bulkhead, both of whom were just happy to see her.

"I had a fight with my selfish, mean nanny." Sari said simply, as she fired up her world's version of _F-Zero X_.

"You mean, with Emma?" Prowl had just come into the main room, to overhear this conversation.

Sari nodded. "Yup. She told my Dad that I didn't do my assignment, and he said I couldn't go trick-or-treating tomorrow if I didn't do the stupid assignment."

"But, Sari, you _did_ do the assignment." Bumblebee blinked.

"I _know_!" Sari exclaimed. "But, _she_ said I had to _write_ something, and wouldn't listen to my side of the story!"

"That...doesn't sound like Emma..." Prowl mused.

"Yeah..." Bumblebee said slowly. "Why would Emma make such a big deal over a little housework, anyway?"

"You mean homework?" Sari shrugged. "Oh, I dunno, something about my Dad trusting her and keeping a roof over her head, but that's not the point!" Sari grabbed a video game controller. "Come on, Bee, verse me!"

Bumblebee assumed his holoform, and the two happy gamers began playing, as Bulkhead watched and Ratchet just rolled his optics, and went to take over monitor duty from Optimus.

"Oh," Sari added. "And, it's just us three for tomorrow night, for trick-or-treating. Unless, you wanted to join us, Prowl?" She glanced at him over her shoulder.

Prowl shook his head. "You three...go and have fun. I have other plans I need to attend to." _It is an odd human custom, to dress up in scary costumes and scare others to obtain sugar-infused nuggets...but, Sari and Emma were talking about costumes, and Emma seemed very excited about it...well, excited for her, that is. She'll be upset if she doesn't get to at least wear it for one day...unless..._

* * *

Emma hadn't really done anything since her argument with Sari, and spent that evening and most of the next day lying on her bed, listening to music. Occasionally, she sang, and that was how Prowl found her at about four in the afternoon, lying on her back, still in her pajamas, and singing _Someday_ by Nickelback.

Prowl waited until the end of the song, not wanting to interrupt. Emma had what the humans would call a very good singing voice, but Prowl understood why she'd never revealed this information to anybody before.

He watched as Emma sat up, with her back to him, and wondered when the last time she'd moved was, as she stretched.

He decided to ask: "How long have you been lying there for?" Judging by the indent in the bed sheets, awhile.

Emma gasped, and spun around, clutching the bed sheets nervously. "How long have you been _standing_ there for?!" She asked. Judging by the look on his face (he was in his holoform), awhile. "Wh-what bring you here, P-Prowl?" Ever since he had danced with her at the ball, Emma hadn't been sure _what_ to think of the quiet cyber-ninja.

Prowl leaned against the doorframe. "You don't have plans for the evening?" He got straight to the point.

Emma shook her head. "N-no." She glanced down. "Not anymore..."

Prowl nodded. "Well, since everybot else is either trick-or-treating, or on monitor duty, and _I_ have been given the task of patrolling the city tonight, I thought that maybe you would...like to come with me..."

Emma's eyes widened slightly, and she blushed. _I-is he...asking me out...on a...date?_ She gulped. _What should i say?!_ She blinked a few times, and then nodded slowly. "I...I probably _should_ get out a bit...but, won't we be a bit...out of place? On Halloween?"

Prowl smiled slightly. He'd been hoping that she would say that. "Not if we both go in costume..."

* * *

Emma stepped out of the elevator, and walked into the main foyer of the Sumdac Tower.

Isaac was standing there, talking to one of his female assistants. She turned around, took one look at Emma, and cried: "_Oh my God_!"

Emma giggled, in a way that seemed to suit her costume...and, yet, it didn't...

She was dressed in a black lolita-like dress that she had found by chance, black stockings and black knee boots. She'd paled her face, however, and done her eye-makeup darkly, giving her a more gothic, vampire/witch-like appearance. She wasn't wearing any jewelry, though, since she hadn't been able to find anything that really suited. It needed to be silver, and that made it even harder. Where was Tokyo Underground when you needed it?

The assistant recovered, and raised an eyebrow to Isaac. "This is...your daughter's nanny?"

Isaac nodded. "Yes...this is Emma. Emma, this is my assistant in the human resources and development of..."

Emma wasn't listening. Her attention was focused on the door, to where a prince had just walked in.

Well, not really, since it was actually just Prowl's holoform, but still...

Emma found herself blinking. _H-how on earth did he manage to come up with a costume that quickly? H-he looks like a cross between Kaname Kuran and Prince Zuko, with a little bit of Jyabura and some Disney Prince all thrown into one! How is this achieved?!_

He was wearing a black suit with gold trimmings and shoulder-pads and a sash, as well as black knee boots and his Autobot symbol. Emma felt her heart-rate accelerate in a very discomforting kind of way. She hoped that she wouldn't trip, or something...

Prowl walked right up to her and, with a completely straight face, offered her his hand. "Emma?" His blue eyes pierced into her hazel ones.

Deciding to play along, and wondering how in Primus' name this was actually happening, Emma placed her hand into his. "Prowl." A tiny smile played at her black-painted lips.

Prowl glanced over at Isaac and his assistant, whom were both staring open-mouthed at the spectacle. Heck, even the robot receptionist was gaping, and she didn't even _have_ a mouth.

"I'll have her back before midnight." Prowl promised Isaac, before leading Emma across the reception area and to the front doors.

Isaac recovered just in time to call: "Okay, have fun and...be careful...?"

_I-I've just seen something amazing!_ The assistant couldn't believe her eyes, and immediately whipped out her phone to call her daughter when she had a moment. "Listen, Charlie, you _won't_ believe this, sweetie..."

* * *

Emma had been worried about not being able to talk whilst she was out on this...err, _outing_, with one of the most awesome beings she'd ever encountered. as it turned out, however, there was one topic of conversation that they found needed addressing, as they walked towards a restaurant because Emma hadn't eaten since yesterday.

"I dunno what she expects from me, I mean, do you?" Emma was still feeling upset about her falling out with Sari, and was seeking advice from Prowl. "I just want her to, you know..._like_ me..." She admitted, sighing.

"Maybe you're trying too hard?" Prowl suggested, and she glanced at him. "She doesn't want you to be anything she doesn't already _have_ in her life. She just wants you to understand things from _her_ point of view, and not assert any unnecessary authority over her."

Emma blinked. "How the Hell does an alien robot understand the feelings of an eight-year-old girl?"

Prowl smiled faintly. "She reminds me of somebot I knew, a long time ago..." He said, glancing at something that only he could see, faraway. Then, he looked back at an incredulous Emma. "What about you? Don't _you_ recall being that age?"

Emma laughed sardonically, though Prowl knew that the sarcasm wasn't intended to hurt him. "S-surprisingly, I do." She drew in a breath. "I actually remembered something the other day..."

She was cut off suddenly, by a tiny Asian lady leaping out at them from a restaurant doorway.

"You come eat at Mama Fuyano's!" She ordered, thrusting a pair of menus at them with surprising vehemency. "It free on October 31st!"

Emma and Prowl blinked in shock. "O-okay..." They both said in unison, taking the menus and entering the restaurant together...

* * *

"So, what were you saying about a memory out there?" Prowl asked, as soon as they had ordered and were gazing around the Asian restaurant that had gone all-out for Halloween this year.

Emma blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, right, my memory..." She closed her eyes, recalling. "When I was Sari's age, I was so jealous of my c-cousin being able to take martial arts lessons, so I begged my M-Mum to let me take them, too, but she said no - you wanna know why?" She opened her eyes and looked at Prowl, whom was listening in silence. "Because my maths grades were slipping in sc-school. Everything else was fine, but not maths. Know why?" She closed her eyes again, remembering being so frightened by the towering bully Rebecca that she would be in tears and hiding in the girls' bathrooms all during breaks, and be late to class because she'd been too scared to come out. "Because maths class was always right after recess and lunch, but during recess and lunch I was too scared to come out of the bathrooms where I'd be hiding."

"Hiding from whom?" Prowl understood perfectly what he was hearing.

"My bully..." Emma muttered, sighing. "I would be in tears by the end of every en-encounter, and I'd always stay in hiding for f-fifteen minutes in case she was still out there...I'd have to run as soon as breaks started, because she'd _always_ be out there, waiting for me..."

"Why didn't you stand up to her?" Prowl wanted to know.

Emma took a deep breath, and looked at Prowl. Her eyes were perfectly dry, but there was a deep sadness he could see in them. "You know, my Mum would ask me where the bruises on my arms came from, and all I could say was that I'd tripped." Prowl's eyes widened slightly. He pictured a tiny, eight-year-old Emma, cowering in fear as a bigger girl grabbed her and pushed her around. The thought of this sent a tiny shard of anger into him, like a splinter that just would not go away. "Only when I "tripped"," Emma made quotation marks in the air. "And fell over a wooden beam on the ground and down a small grassy ditch did everything come out. But, by then it was too late. Every time I stood up for myself, I got hurt. I wanted to take martial arts so that I could stop Rebecca from hitting me..." She trailed off, and smiled in a bitter way. "I soon stopped socializing with anybody but my three best friends; stopped putting my hand up in class to answer questions...by the time high school rolled around, and we were all split up, I didn't know how to make new friends..."

"Was high school better for the bullying, or...?" Prowl queried, trying to piece together the pieces of this complicated jigsaw puzzle.

"Hmm..." Emma shook her head slightly. "N-no...well, they didn't _physically_ hurt me, but they spread rumors and ostracized me, which was just as bad...I s-stopped socializing outside of my friends, then one ditched us, s-so...yeah...that's it..." She shrugged. "How did we even get _onto_ this topic, Prowl?"

She didn't seem to expect an answer, and Prowl didn't have one.

He was secretly glad, though, that Emma had suddenly decided to confide in him, because he suddenly understood her a whole lot better than he had before. She was shy, and didn't think that she needed to trust anybody but herself. In a way, she was just like him...

He suddenly realised that he was staring at her, and she became aware of it at the same time. She blushed beneath her makeup, and Prowl thought of how it made her look mysterious and...beautiful?

And, those eyes...something about them...

Just as he was grasping this thought, the waitress appeared seemingly out of nowhere, startling them both. She had their orders.

"You eat!" She ordered, placing the plates down in front of them. "Eat now, talk later!"

She didn't need to tell them twice.

* * *

Later, when they had finished their meal, Emma and Prowl left the restaurant.

Emma glanced at the cyber-ninja. "Prowl...can I ask...?" He glanced at her. "You're not _really_ out on patrol, are you?"

Prowl smiled sheepishly. "Well...no...not really..." He tilted his head to one side. "Emma...do you mind if I show you...my favourite place in the city? Well, just outside of it, actually..."

Emma was a little bit surprised, but she agreed, and found herself with her arms around the waist of Prowl's holoform, as the motorcycle took them out of the city.

* * *

Prowl stopped on a deserted road outside of the city, after they'd climbed a small mountain. His holoform disappeared as Emma dismounted.

"Hmm..." She glanced down at something beside her boot. "_Eyaaaaauuuurgghhhh_!"

Prowl had never heard anybody, let alone Emma, scream that loudly - he hadn't even known she _could_, but it wasn't as high-pitched as Sari's. As he transformed into his robot mode just in case of danger, Emma leapt into his arms, jumping much higher than she normally would have. He was startled, and looking around for what had freaked her out.

"_Centipede_!" She cried, pointing to the sandy-coloured bug on the ground.

Prowl looked at it. "It's just an insect." He said calmly, carrying her away from the road, out of centipede's reach. Said centipede crawled into a hole.

"It's poisonous, and aggressive, and _massive_." Emma informed him. "And fast..." She added, as an afterthought.

"Well, it's gone now." Prowl told her.

"Okay..." Emma smiled in an embarrassed way. "You can put me down now...?"

"Actually, I need to carry you for this part." Prowl told her, and she looked up at him, confused. He just smiled calmly, and carried her to another part of the mountain. "Now, hold on tight." He told her and she, after a moment's hesitation, wrapped her arms around his neck. Prowl activated his jet-boosters, and jumped up into the sky, heading for the top of the mountain...

* * *

Sari clung to the pole, but she didn't look like her usual young-self. The key had been stolen from her by a crazed spider-robot, bent on revenge against Optimus Prime because he had wronged her in the past.

This spider-lady was named Blackarachnia, and she was a Decepticon. Sari had listened to how she'd blamed him for what had happened to her, and now she was getting revenge by hurting everybody else around her - the All-Spark was turning every organic into old people, and Sari couldn't hold onto the pole much longer!

"I get the point!" She cried, to nobody in particular. "Revenge is bad! I'm sorry, Emma!" She screamed, as her grip finally gave way.

She fell but, luckily, Bumblebee had come up to meet her, and transformed, cushioning her in his interior, safe and sound.

Of course, the bumpy landing deployed the airbag, and ruined Bumblebee's tires, but at least Sari was safe, if not a little bit ruffled.

"So, uh...you gonna tell Emma you forgive her?" Bumblebee asked awkwardly.

"Oh, shut up..." Sari said grumpily.

* * *

Emma gasped, looking around her at the meadow that was at the top of the mountain, and inside a crater. It was perfectly untouched, pristine in every aspect, from the pale blue pool of water to the trees that were blossoming red petals all around.

"This is...this..." Emma could only shake her head, and couldn't keep the smile off her face. "And, no centipedes?"

Prowl laughed softly. "No centipedes. Do you like it?" He assumed his holoform.

"It's beautiful..." Emma whispered, walking through the ankle-length grass. She sat down by the lake, and Prowl came and sat beside her. A cool wind blew above them, rustling the leaves in the trees. "But...are you sure it's okay for me to know about it? Is it your special place?"

Prowl nodded. "Yes, but...you won't tell anybody, will you?"

Emma smiled again. "No. Thank you, for trusting me with it. It's nice to know not everywhere is covered in concrete."

"You like nature?" Prowl guessed.

Emma nodded. "Yeah...I don't think people really appreciate it that much, but some people, l-like naturalists and wild-life preservers do. I mean, look at how happy Ruby and Duncan seem in the z-zoo..." Ruby and Duncan were the dingo pups they had saved from Swamp Road, and they were living at the local zoo. Emma had been to visit them a few times, in between her secret training sessions with Victoria...

"Hmm...perhaps you're right..." Prowl nodded. "Uh, Emma?"

"Hmm? What is it, P-Prowl?" Emma asked, hoping that she'd be able to stop the constricting of her throat every time she spoke to people.

"I have...something for you..." Prowl said. "Close your eyes." He instructed. Emma was surprised, but did as she was told. She felt a thin, cool chain slide around her neck, and then it was fastened. "Okay, now open them."

Emma did so, and looked down at the silver Autobot pendant that now hung around her neck. "Oh my God..." She gasped, blinking a few times. "Prowl, this is..." She looked at him. He was waiting. "Does this mean I'm one of you guys, now?"

Prowl nodded, and she threw her arms around him unexpectedly, pushing him to the grass as she hugged him.

Prowl was stunned, as Emma's surprisingly warm arms wrapped around his neck, and she nuzzled her face against his shoulder. His spark hammered in his chest, as a wave of familiarity and warmth washed over him.

Emma suddenly seemed to realise what she'd just done, and pushed herself up on the palms of her hands, looking at Prowl.

"Uh...sorry..." She whispered, as a gentle breeze blew her hair around her head like a halo. "Just...thank you..." Her Autobot symbol glittered in the light.

Prowl stared at her for a second, and was just about to say something, when he got a transmission through his mental com-link.

When he heard what Bulkhead had to say, Prowl wished that the traffic jam was the most of their worries...

* * *

Due to the traffic jam, Prowl decided that the fastest way to get to the location of the others was if he took the rooftops. With Emma clinging to his neck, Prowl looked like a full-on ninja, running and jumping over the rooftops.

"Don't worry," Prowl said for the fourth time. "Bulkhead said that Sari is fine...for the most part..."

"_For the most part_?!" Emma repeated.

"Well...he wasn't terribly...specific..." Prowl explained. "He just said something about...Sari aging rapidly."

Emma was silent for a second, before saying sarcastically: "Oh, _thank_ you Prowl, I feel _so_ much better now..."

Prowl jumped over another rooftop, and both he and Emma happened to look to their right.

A purple femme-bot that looked half-spider was standing staring at the full moon, and sobbing quietly. When she saw them, however, she hissed at them, and vanished swiftly.

"What...was that?" Prowl wanted to know, as the continued on their way.

"Duh, it was a _girl_." Emma responded. "Hey, Prowl?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we get Sari an Autobot pendant for her birthday?" Emma asked him. "I mean, you can create it or however it is these things come into existence, I can give it to her, and...I dunno, Bumblebee or somebody can approve of it. A gift from three of us?"

"_Where_ does your logic _come_ from?" Prowl couldn't believe how much he'd learnt about this girl in just _one_ night...

"Where does your _lack_ of logic come from?"

* * *

Optimus handed Sari back her key. "I believe the expression is 'trick or treat'?"

Sari, whom was back to her normal self, smiled as she accepted her key. "Duh. That's what I'm supposed to say. You just say 'Happy Halloween' and fork over the goods..." She suddenly looked past Optimus, just as Prowl jumped down onto the ground, and Emma jumped down from where she'd been clinging to his neck.

"Sari!" Emma cried, running to her.

"Emma!" Sari ran to her, and the two girls embraced. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to do the assignment before Halloween..." She explained.

"I know, sweetie, _I'm_ sorry, too," Emma patted the girl's head. "You don't have to do the assignment." She told Sari.

"I already have." Sari shrugged, drawing back with a shrug.

Emma straightened up. "On what?" She thought about Blackarachnia. "Spiders?" She guessed.

Sari gave her an odd look. "_No_. Spiders aren't dangerous, they're just..." She glanced at Optimus. "Misunderstood." The two shared a small smile. "No, I picked something _way_ cooler, and _much_ more _dangerous_." Sari turned back to Emma with a huge grin. "I decided to do my assignment on the Giant Desert Centipede." She announced.

Prowl blinked, and glanced at Emma, whom had gone even paler. "Uh..." Emma said weakly. "Better let your Dad grade that one, kiddo..."

* * *

Of all the strange people that decided to break the law in Detroit, Professor Princess had to be one of the weirdest. But, when Bulkhead put a stop to her plans (by beheading her ride-on robot flying-unicorn, Powdered Sugar), Bulkhead thanked Sari for her help. She had use her key to create some sound-waves from nearby sound systems, to overload Powdered Sugar's mechanical systems.

They fist-bumped, and Bulkhead pretended that Sari's "strength" had actually hurt him.

"Pu-lease." Sari rolled her eyes, and then glanced down the street, to where a shiny silver car had just pulled up. "Wow, cool car..." Sari recognized the expensiveness of the vehicle in question. Her key suddenly started glowing. "Huh?" She glanced down at it, and then at Bulkhead. "Bulkhead! My key is acting up!" She pointed at the car, but continued to look at Bulkhead. "Is that car...one of you?"

Bulkhead looked up. "Huh? No...wait, it's just Emma..."

"Huh? It is?" Sari looked, and saw that Emma had just gotten out of the car, and was bowing to somebody. Then, the window was wound down, and a pair of hands handed Scuz to her.

Emma stood on the corner and waved as the car pulled out of sight. She seemed really happy. Then, she turned around, and saw Sari and Bulkhead standing there. "Yagh!" She cried, jumping back.

"Hi there, Emma." Sari said sweetly.

"H-hello." Emma stammered.

"Who was that?" Sari wanted to know.

"Uh..." Emma hedged, fidgeting with Scuz, and then glancing behind Sari. "Umm, guys?"

"Yeah?" Sari and Bulkhead said in unison.

"The shop's on fire." Emma replied.

"The shop's on...?" Sari turned around. Her maroon eyes widened and reflected the glare of the flames. "Oh no! Do something!"

"Call Optimus!" Emma suggested.

"I'm on it!" Bulkhead replied, trying to call Optimus and 'do something' at the same time. He ended up tripping, and crashing into another shop.

"Ah, Bulkhead," Sari smiled. "You gotta love him."

"He's awesome." Emma agreed, though she was more glad to be saved from the awkward conversation.

* * *

On the day of her birthday, Sari awoke with a huge smile, the way she always did on her special day. Her Dad came into her room, followed by Emma. He carried some of her presents, and she carried a special birthday breakfast.

"D-don't worry," Emma assured Sari, as the little girl dug in. "I didn't cook it - your Dad did."

"Oh, I can't tell." Sari assured her, as Scuz sniffed at a big pink box wrapped with a light green bow. "Ooh, is that for me?"

"Well, I do not know anybody else having a birthday." Isaac smiled, as Sari tore into the present with enthusiasm.

Isaac and Emma exchanged a smile. They had planned Sari's birthday down to the very last detail. There was to be a party, and one last surprise, although Emma was masking her apprehension at that last part.

She had decided to let things take their course, though...

Sari unwrapped the brand new digital camera.

"Do _not_ use your key on that thing, Sari." Emma and Isaac said at _exactly_ the same time.

Sari's eyes widened. "Sheesh, okay, okay, I won't..."

She thought: _It's kind of nice...NOT like having a Mum and a Dad, but like having a Dad and...not quite a sister...I dunno WHAT she is, but it's good...oh, and a prickly pet._ As Scuz curled up, Sari placed the bow on top of him. _I can't wait to see the Autobots today...I just wish that it wasn't going to be at the party...augh..._

"Hey, Sari?" Emma handed Sari a yellow gift bag. "This is for you - happy birthday." She smiled awkwardly.

Sari noticed that Emma was still a bit unsure of herself when it came to normal social things, like saying 'happy birthday' and 'thank you'.

"Thanks!" Sari exclaimed, opening up the bag to reveal a beautiful leather-bound photo album, to go with the camera. "Oh, _wow_!"

"That's from Optimus and Ratchet," Emma explained, as Sari examined the gift. "Don't ask me _where_ they got it from, because I _don't_ know. Oh, and open the first page...this one's from Prowl and me, and approved by Bumblebee."

Sari giggled, and then opened the first page, to reveal an Autobot pendant on a silver chain.

She stared at it for a moment, before throwing her arms around Emma's waist and squeezing her tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you _thank you THANK YOU_!" Sari exclaimed.

Emma glanced over at an amused Isaac. "I think she likes it."

* * *

Emma's phone rang, playing the ringtone that had come with the phone, as she was helping Sari and Isaac set up the last decorations for the party.

With Scuz perched on her black knitted hat, and a piñata in her left hand (now free of its bandages, thank God) Emma used her right hand to answer her phone, hoping that it wouldn't be Victoria springing a surprise lesson on her...

Her lessons were...not going so well...Victoria seemed to be waiting for something, and Emma just couldn't seem to achieve it, whatever it was...

"Hello?" She answered, leaning against the tree.

"Hello, Emma?" Came the voice of a certain yellow speedster. "It's Bumblebee."

"I know that it's you, Bee," Emma told him. "What's up? Are you almost here?"

"Almost," Bee responded. "I hope that we won't be late..."

"You'd better not be, Mister." Emma responded. "Sari's been looking forward to seeing you guys today."

"We'll be there." Bumblebee promised.

Emma smiled, and then looked up. "Uh-oh, gotta go. I got a purple dinosaur in one hand and a bunch of kids that don't look too thrilled heading this way...ground control time! Later!"

"Later."

Emma hung up, and quickly finished tying the piñata to the tree, trying desperately to keep the German opening theme from Viva Piñata out of her head as she did so.

Isaac gasped happily. "Oh, they _came_..."

Sari, whom was holding a teacup of punch with her pinkie finger out, frowned. "Course they came. You're they're parents' boss."

A little girl in a pink beanie carrying a blue present with purple ribbons leaned over to whisper to her neighbour: "I hope we don't have to stay long...that girl is a _weirdo_..."

"Who knows?" The little boy replied. "Maybe she got better?"

"Plus, her nanny's a gothic witch." A little boy that resembled Danny Witwicky whispered. he had seen her on Halloween, and assumed that was how she _always_ dressed.

"Maybe it's not that bad?" The last guest, a tall, raven-haired little girl, muttered.

Emma came over to where Sari was sampling her punch. The little red-head swirled it around in her mouth, before spitting back out and claiming it to be too sweet. Trouble is, she spat it _back into the punch bowl_. "Augh! Did _you_ make this, Emma?!" She accused the black-clad girl.

Emma held up her hands. "It was the receptionist!" She rolled her eyes, and looked up at the sky. "I need a miracle, Primus!" She begged him quietly, but just loud enough for the other kids to hear.

"Way worse!" The first two kids exclaimed, and all four of them turned to go.

"Wait!" Isaac called. "Have some...punch?" He finished meekly, as Sari gagged on her tea.

"S-Sari, spit it out first!" Emma coached her. Just then, she felt a jolt. _Oh, great, the cavalry arrived!_

Optimus; Ratchet; Bumblebee and Prowl drove up and transformed, and the kids began chattering excitedly.

"Greetings, children." Optimus waved, really making an effort to get into these earth customs. Emma felt a sense of relief at that. "And...pleasant date of birth, Sari." He added, and Sari grinned, although Emma noticed that it wasn't the little girl's _usual_ grin.

Sari tended to act differently when she was in the company of humans...probably due to her sheltered upbringing...

"I believe the term is 'happy birthday'." Prowl supplied, and glanced over at Sari and Emma.

Emma smiled shyly at him, and he smiled back.

"So, what are we waiting for?!" Bulkhead cried, rushing onto the scene. "Let's get this party started!" His running caused small tremors that sent the four little party guests toppling. "Oops..." Bulkhead said.

"Courtney, are you okay?!" A blonde-haired girl with big assets came rushing over, and helped the girl in the pink beanie up.

"Y-yeah...it's okay, the Autobots are cool, Charlie!" Courtney smiled.

"Yup, they sure are." Charlie agreed.

"Y-you..." Emma stammered, unable to believe that the bitchy girl from the party was here.

Charlie glanced at her, her gaze piercing. "Oh, it's you." She said, as everybody else moved away to 'get the party started'. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I'm Sari's nanny." Emma said, running her right index finger over the inside of her right thumb in a nervous way. "Why are _you_ here?" She asked suddenly.

"I'm Courtney's older sister." Charlie replied in a condescending way. She glanced at Emma's outfit. "Oh, I see that your white dress was...a one off thing...my Mum saw you the other day." She added, meaningfully.

Emma pieced together quickly that Charlie and Courtney's Mum must be Issac's assistant. "Oh, did she now?" _Just handle this better than high school come on, girl!_

"Yes." Charlie's eyes travelled to the pendant hanging around Emma's neck. "She did...she never told me you had a hedgehog."

"It is an echidna."

"You're from down-under?"

"Yup."

"How unfortunate."

"Better than being a bitchy, blonde-haired yank."

Emma and Charlie stared at each other, although it was more like a glare.

"Hey, Emma!" Bumblebee suddenly called, waving one hand. Emma and Charlie looked over, to where everybody was crowded under the piñata tree. "Is this that purple dinosaur thingie? What _is_ it?!"

"A piñata, Bee!" Emma called back, one hand at her throat. she began walking towards them, aware of Charlie's eyes on her back.

Charlie watched as Emma tied the blindfold around Sari's eyes, and handed her the wooden bat. She then stepped back, to stand beside the black Autobot known as Prowl.

He smiled at Emma, and she smiled back.

Charlie didn't like that.

Emma and Prowl both called words of encouragement to Sari. Everybody else did, too (well, except for the kids), but Charlie really only focused on those two. They both laughed in amusement, as Sari swung and missed.

Charlie didn't understand it at all. From finding that little red-haired freak _amusing_, to an awesome and famous Autobot like Prowl paying attention to that gothic little freak...it infuriated the blonde.

When the klutziest of the Autobots, Bulkhead, destroyed the party scene, Courtney and the other kids felt like leaving, and made to.

But, Bumblebee stopped them, with the promise of an Autobot ride!

The kids were excited and enthusiastic (considering that one of them was wearing an Optimus Prime shirt, it was no wonder).

Sari noticed that Emma was biting at her index finger again, as Courtney was allowed to take a ride with Prowl, and Charlie claimed that she had to go with her little sister, 'just in case'. Charlie gave Emma a superior Look, as she adjusted her seat pointedly.

The Autobots all drove off, taking the guests with them.

Except for Bulkhead, that is. "Hey!" He sounded affronted. "I just got ditched!"

"No..._we_ just got ditched..." Sari said sullenly.

"Ditto." Emma agreed, putting a hand briefly on the pouting little girl's shoulder. _It's her birthday...she shouldn't have to go through this...augh, kids can be SO mean..._

"I know _just_ the thing!" Isaac said, taking Sari by the shoulders. "How about opening some presents?" He suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Emma heard Bulkhead say, and watched as he took out the xylophone with the pink bow attached to it. _Aww..._ she thought, knowing what was coming. "Now, I know how much you like music, so..."

Sari was _way_ more fixated on the present her Dad had gotten her - it was a soundbox, one that transformed into a robot named Soundwave when Sari pressed a button.

She was _enthralled_. "This is _awesome_!" she exclaimed, when Soundwave began playing techno music and an antenna on his head created a laser show. "Emma, take a photo!" She exclaimed. "This is going _straight_ in the scrapbook!"

Emma snapped a photo of Soundwave and then, through the viewfinder, she glanced at Bulkhead. He put the xylophone back into his storage unit, and looked depressed.

"Aww..." Emma muttered, lowering the camera. "Poor Bulky..."

He glanced at her, and she tried to smile reassuringly, but she wasn't sure if he was reassured or not...

* * *

Three days later, Emma felt sleep-deprived. She'd been kept up at night by Sari and Soundwave, and even Victoria had started to notice it. The older woman had _finally_ sent Emma home, telling her to come back when she'd gotten some sleep.

Emma trudged upstairs to her room, but decided to take a detour to Sari's room first, only to discover that Sari had gone out, presumably with Bulkhead.

Soundwave was there, however and, wondering if she should do anything, Emma crept closer. The robot remained static, but Emma was not fooled. She had seen the episodes, and knew that Sari's use of the key on Soundwave had made him become more sentient.

"I'm onto you, Soundwave, and you're in big trouble..." Emma warned him, pointing a finger at him.

He still didn't move.

She sighed, and picked up one of his arms, noticing the keyboards on there. "Do these things actually _work_? Sari never _did_ let me get close enough to find out..." She tried out a note. "It does!" She cried gleefully, and began to play a song. "_Say, thanks for your bravery  
Look, the newly born power  
Covering everything, shining brightly_

_Even more than the spacious sky and the sea  
My dreams have no limits  
I have realized that because I am in love_..." She broke off, embarrassed. "Heh...what's the bet that Megatron's watching, like, _right now_?" _Wait, why did I just say that, no, now he knows that I know!_

Emma stared at Soundwave, and Soundwave stared back at her.

"Meh." Emma shrugged. "What are the odds of that?"

* * *

Unfortunately, it turned out that Megatron _had_ just heard what Emma had said. "How very interesting..." The Decepticon leader said thoughtfully, watching as Emma continued to glare at Soundwave. "It would appear that more than just her appearance has changed...she has become...more..._aware_..."

He didn't know how the young woman knew that there was more to Soundwave than met the eye, but he was determined to keep _his_ eye...err, _optic_, on her from now on, until he could figure out a plan...

* * *

Early the next morning, Emma was awoken by a phone-call.

"He-llo?" She was feeling like she'd just been hit by Rolling Rock.

"Emma, it's Bulkhead," the big green bot sounded concerned. "Look, I just got a really weird phone-call from Sari! Can you meet me in the park?"

"Wha-?"

"Great, I'll see you soon!"

Emma listened to the dial-tone, before falling face-first into her pillow.

* * *

Emma arrived at the park (after getting lost twice) to find Sari and Bulkhead arguing.

"What's going on?!" She cried, rushing over. "Sari? Bulkhead? _Why are you two fighting_?!" She was sleep-deprived, and feeling it. She stood between them like some kind of mediator. She dearly wanted to throw her echidna at them.

"Because he ruins _everything_!" Sari complained.

"I'm just trying to protect you!" Bulkhead protested.

"From _what_?!" Sari cried.

Emma sighed, and turned to her, in time to see Soundwave aim a laser-guided gun directly at her back which, of course, Bulkhead intercepted.

Unfortunately, it didn't look that way to everybody else and, when the other Autobots arrived, Soundwave made it look even worse for poor old Bulkhead.

"You broke him on purpose!" Sari declared angrily, when Soundwave fell to the ground in (mock) defeat.

Of course, Sari used her key to fix him.

Prowl spoke to Emma as Soundwave came back to life.

"What happened?" Prowl asked Emma.

"Oh, I dunno," Emma lied. "I just got here and they were already arguing, I've had to listen to Soundwave until three AM in the morning since he arrived..."

"As opposed to three AM at night?" Prowl said.

"I need coffee!" Emma groaned, massaging her eyes, only vaguely realising that Prowl had sounded very much like her Father just then.

"I'll take you!" Bulkhead said suddenly. "You like that place just down the street from here, right?"

"Right." Emma nodded, as Bulkhead transformed. She had a feeling that he needed a friend right now...and, she just needed her coffee!

* * *

"So," Emma said, sipping on a triple-espresso with honeycomb on top, a speciality of Heartcash. "You were with Sari when I was found?" She just realised that she had never actually spoken with anybody about this.

Bulkhead's holoform nodded. "Yeah - it was weird, you know, like Sari's key just started glowing, and then...BAM! There you were..."

"I think the All-Spark may have had something to do with it..." Emma mused. "I mean, it helped Scuz-Bag when I asked it to, so maybe..."

"You think it brought you here on purpose?" Bulkhead blinked.

Emma shrugged. "I dunno...I _hope_ so...because...this is cool...now, if we could _only_ get Sari back onside..." She stabbed at her drink with the straw.

"Yeah..." Bulkhead agreed, sadly. "She's one of the only ones that doesn't...you know...think I'm a big scary monster that's only good for wrecking stuff...she's my friend...or, at least, I _think_ she is..." He pouted.

"Aww, it'll be o-okay, Bulkhead." Emma said soothingly. "Sari still cares about you. I promise." She held out her pinkie-finger. "Here, hold out your hand." Bulkhead was confused, but did so, and Emma hooked her pinkie around his. "That's called a pinkie-promise. I've never broken one before." She smiled at Bulkhead and, this time, he smiled back at her.

* * *

They arrived back at the base, and Emma knew that it was time to say something, since they'd all be finding out regardless. "Umm...I've got a bad feeling..." She said, as she and Bulkhead walked inside.

"Aww, Emmsy!" It was Bumblebee, with a brand-new nickname for her. "Why did you have to go and say that?! you know I hate it when you get bad feelings!"

"No, I really mean it!" Emma exclaimed, rushing over to the TV, and switching it on. "Look!"

"We're coming to you live from downtown Detroit where, from what we can tell, all of the automatons in Detroit have gone amok." The reporter said, just as the screen gained a reddish-tint. "Including my camera-bot! Augh!"

The Autobots and Emma watched in silence as the reporter was taken down, like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

Bumblebee glanced at Emma, as Bulkhead declared that the song playing on the live feed was Soundwave's song. "_Ohhhh_...I really _hate_ it when you two are right!" He complained. "So, Soundwave really _did_ cause all of this?"

Bulkhead nodded. "Then, that means that..."

"Sari's in trouble." Emma finished grimly, her fists clenched. _Soundwave will pay if he hurts her_! Emma thought, angrily...

* * *

Emma rode with Prowl on the way to rescue Sari, and clung to his neck as he transformed, and found that the signal was coming from directly beneath them.

Smaller robots clawed at Prowl's stabilizing servos from the sewer grate.

"They're cannibals!" Emma was horrified.

The smaller robots were advancing, servos waving and eyes flashing. The air artillery was close behind, much to everybody's horror.

"Split up!" Optimus ordered. "Bumblebee, you're with me!" He activated his battle mask. "Prowl and Emma, with Ratchet! Bulkhead..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my own." The big guy said sulkily, picking up a car and throwing it at some of the aerial bots. "As _usual_..."

"Hey!" Bumblebee cried, as he was picked up by a large trash-can bot. "I'm supposed to take out the trash! Not the other way around!" He was saved by Optimus' flying axe.

Emma clung to Prowl's neck as robots advanced on them, wielding weapons that made them look like ninjas. As Prowl quickly destroyed the robots, he said: "This is getting dangerous..." He glanced at Bulkhead, and then added: "Go with Bulkhead for now!"

"But..." Emma protested, as she was transferred to the big green bot's shoulder. "Prowl!" She cried, as he rushed off to help Ratchet.

As Soundwave tampered with their com-links, causing confusion and mayhem, Optimus ordered Bulkhead to get to Soundwave. That was the only way!

"I'm on it!" Bulkhead ripped a grate out of the ground, and jumped down into the sewers with Emma clinging desperately to his shoulder. They landed with an almighty thud that shook the tunnels and caused dust to fly up around them.

When Bulkhead turned around, Sari was standing there, but so were Soundwave (whom happened to be taller and more fancy-looking now) and a mind-controlled Tutor-Bot and Sparkplug.

"Bulkhead!" Sari exclaimed. "Emma!" She looked thrilled.

Emma jumped down from Bulkhead's shoulder. "Sari, are you okay?!"

"I am now!" The little girl responded, just as Soundwave lived up to his name and caused multiple waves of sound that caused Bulkhead to lose his balance and fall face-first to the ground.

Soundwave tried to convince Bulkhead that humans were evil. Could Bulkhead not see that, especially after the way Sari had treated him?

"Now that you mention it," Bulkhead said. "She did trade me in the second she got something better..."

"I-I never meant..." Sari looked sad. "I'm sorry, Bulkhead."

"It's too late for sorry." Bulkhead said flatly, walking towards her.

Soundwave seemed happy but, in his monotone, nobody could really tell. He stated that there was only one logical solution - to kill Sari, once and for all!

Sari looked shocked, and probably just the teensiest bit scared, as Bulkhead drew out his wrecking ball, and said: "I've been waiting a long time for this." He then winked at Sari.

She gasped softly, and realised what Bulkhead was doing - now was his chance to destroy Soundwave.

The sound-controlling Decepticon never saw it coming, and a wrecking ball straight through the spark shattered his body into a thousand and one pieces, disrupting all the evil frequencies and returning the city to just the way it was!

Emma hurried to Sari then and hugged her. Sari hugged her back, and said: "Did you two plan that?"

Emma shook her head. "No, but after the conversation we had in the coffee shop," she glanced over at Bulkhead, and held up her pinkie-finger. "I just knew he wouldn't hurt you."

"Still friends?" Sari asked Bulkhead hopefully.

He leaned down, and offered her his fist. "Still friends."

They bumped fists, but Bulkhead forgot to hold back, and Sari started wailing. "Ow, ow, _ow_!" She complained.

"_Please_..." Bulkhead rolled his optics.

"I'm not kidding, _ow_!" Sari held her right hand, which had started to swell up.

Emma sighed. "Maybe you two ought to stick to pinkie-links, too..."

* * *

Emma's Lolita Dress: product/Lolita+Dress+%28198%29

Viva Piñata, German-Style: watch?v=UYm3W1riJhU


	8. Gotta Watch Out

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gotta Watch Out

* * *

Emma was having another dream, but thankfully it wasn't a flying dream. In it, she was in what could be described as a Japanese-styled house. However, it kind of reminded her of the flashback scenes from American Dragon, with Grandpa and Fu Dog.

In the dream, she heard somebody say to her: "Try it again. This time, _focus_..." The voice was gentle and patient, and full of wisdom and caring.

Emma nodded, and tried the difficult punch again, only to wake up with a yelp, because she'd just flung her arm out in real life and gotten a hand-full of echidna stickers.

As she was groaning, and Scuz had decided to hide from her under the bed sheets, she dearly hoped that nobody else had seen that...

* * *

Later that morning, Emma and Scuz (he had, thankfully, forgiven her, and she'd managed to get all of the spikes out of her hand) visited Victoria and Sai again, to resume Emma's lessons.

"You're tired again today." Victoria said accusingly, but let her in the house regardless.

"I had a weird dream last night, Victoria." Emma said, after they'd done their breathing exercises.

"What kind of weird dream, Emma?" victoria wanted to know.

"Hmm..." Emma closed her eyes, remembering. "It sort of seemed like the 70's, you know when people wore those weird white pants and danced to the disco beat and everything, but...there was a definite A-Asian feel to it all, and somebody said to me 'try it again, this time, _focus_...'. I tried the punch again, but I ended up doing it in _real_ life and hitting Scuz instead..." She still had her eyes closed, so she didn't see the glance Victoria and Sai exchanged.

"Emma," Victoria said carefully. "Can you recall the techniques of the punch?"

Emma nodded slightly. "Y-yeah..." She still had her eyes closed, but stood up. "Something like...umm...sort of..." She moved through the set carefully, ending with an upper-motion of her right hand. "No, wait, that's not right..." She opened her eyes, blushing, to find both Victoria and Sai staring at her. "Wh-what?"

Victoria glanced at Sai, and he nodded slightly.

Victoria turned back to Emma, and said: "I want you to do that again, adding it to the kick that we worked on yesterday, okay? Go!"

Emma gulped and, resisting the urge to salute (or bolt) she did so, not sure what Victoria and Sai wanted from her...

* * *

That evening, Emma staggered into the Autobot base, feeling like she'd just been put through the wringer. She'd been training for about six hours straight, attempting to get something that she had no idea what was. Victoria and Sai hadn't said much to her, even though she'd been _dying_ to ask them why her dream had been of interest to them.

_It must have something to do with the All-Spark...I must sound like a broken record, but what else could it be? The All-Spark showed me a vision through my dreams..._ She was thinking very hard, and so not really paying attention as she walked inside. _That _has_ to be it...the All-Spark brought me here, and helped Scuz-Bag, so...it showed me that vision as well, to help me with my training? But...where do Victoria and Sai link into all of this...?_

She was suddenly thrown off balance, when Sari lunged at her and threw her arms around the older woman. she hugged her tightly.

Emma glanced at the Autobots questioningly over the top of Sari's red-head.

"She's upset." Bumblebee explained.

"_About_?" Emma rolled her eyes, although she already knew.

Sari looked up at Emma with sad, maroon eyes. It had suddenly occurred to her that the only other person that would be feeling the same way about this as she was, was Emma. "Th-they're _leaving_!" Sari wailed, burying her face into Emma's stomach.

"Wh-what?" Emma's eyes opened wide, looking first at Prowl and then at Optimus. "Why? What happened?"

Optimus explained: "Two Decepticons showed up today." Emma stared at him, not having to feign her shock at this. She realised that she hadn't actually _seen_ a _real_ Decepticon just yet, and that their threat must be just as bad as it was in the TV show. "We managed to stop them from tearing up all of the city, but just barely. We were defeated." Optimus admitted.

"Utterly destroyed." Bulkhead added.

"In dire need of medical attention." Ratchet nodded.

"In short, we lost." Bumblebee finished.

Prowl didn't say anything.

Emma bit at her thumbnail. "They're really that strong?" She asked quietly. "The...Decepticons?"

The Autobots all nodded.

"So...you're leaving with the All-Spark to lure them away from earth?" Emma pretended to guess, but all the while she was thinking _no no no no NO_! She didn't want them to leave!

Sari was a lot more vocal about it. "Don't _understand_ their reasons!" The little girl protested, drawing back and looking up at Emma with wounded eyes. "They _can't_ leave! Tell them not to leave!" She demanded.

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "M-me? Sari, they don't listen to me!"

"They even want _me_ to help them fix their ship!" Sari wasn't listening. She stomped away, throwing her hands up in the air. "Well, I _won't_! I WON'T!"

"_Sari_!" Emma fairly shouted, and Sari turned to look at her.

The Autobots were surprised. They hadn't really ever heard Emma raise her voice before.

"Sari, people go away all the time!" Emma said firmly, although her voice shook slightly. "Family members disown you and couples break up and people you love _die_! You need to learn to deal with these things! I'm just as upset as you are!" She turned away, her hands shaking.

"Y-yeah...I can...see that..." Sari blinked, taking in everything that Emma had just said, but applying it not to herself, but to Emma.

She was _not_ going to just let the Autobots leave and, being the typical eight-year-old girl that she was, she had a plan...

* * *

The two Decepticons that had caused so much mayhem were standing on a billboard blimp that was slowly circulating the city.

"What a strange little planet," Icy-Blitzwing said, in a German accent, pronouncing his his 'wh' a 'vh'. "Look at them, all scurrying back and forth like so many Nanobots." He would never cease to be amazed by the strangeness of this other world.

"Ah, would you shut it down for two cycles?" The big Decepticon called Lugnut groaned. "I cannot hear myself think!"

"You mean you can't hear those voices in your head." Blitzwing crossed his arms.

"Lugnut!"

"What was that?!" Lugnut cried.

"I said, 'you mean you can't hear those voices in your head'." Blitzwing repeated.

"No, not you!" Lugnut got down on his knees in subordination. "How may I serve you, Master?"

Blitzwing just rolled his red optics. He couldn't hear the voices, even though Lugnut swore up and down that he could hear the voice of their supposedly offlined leader, Megatron.

It turned out, however, that Megatron _was_ contacting Lugnut, having deemed him loyal and Blitzwing's alliance questionable. He told Lugnut about the key, that had been charged by the All-Spark's power. He wanted Lugnut to bring the All-Spark to him, as the key would lead him to it.

However, he had one other piece of information.

"There is also a young organic femme that has formed an alliance with the Autobots." Megatron sent a pixilated picture of a human with hazel eyes and dark red-brown hair to Lugnut. "Do not ask me for what reason, but she must be brought to me, along with the All-Spark, and _unharmed_."

"Y-yes, I will not fail you, Master!" Lugnut promised. "Your destiny will be fulfilled!" He transformed quickly and flew off, with a skeptical Blitzwing in tow.

Lugnut didn't know why Megatron wanted the golden-eyed organic, but he would bring her to him, if that is what his glorious leader desired!

"Here we go again..." The Blitzwing said, in a sing-song voice.

* * *

Said golden-eyed organic was currently traveling to Lake Eyrie with Sari and the Autobots. When they got there, Sari decided to drag her feet, and Emma couldn't blame her.

Ratchet told Sari to hurry up.

"I forgot my swimsuit." Sari said primly, and then glanced at Emma. "And, my Nanny forgot her bikini, didn't you?"

"I don't wear bikinis!" Emma blushed, as she got off of Prowl's alt mode. "They're too revealing!" Beneath her hands on the seat of the motorcycle, she felt it shudder slightly.

"You sound like some grumpy old bot I know!" Sari rolled her eyes.

"Can we try it _without_ the attitude?" Ratchet, in his alt mode, asked.

"_No_." Sari said, sounding very much the stuck-up child at that point. Then, her key began glowing. "Uh-oh...not again..." She looked up. "_Incoming_!" She cried, as various missiles form both Blitzwing and Lugnut were aimed at them. The stuck-up child became the scared child in the middle of a war-zone.

Ratchet pulled up beside her, and Emma grabbed Sari and, with surprising strength, dragged the little girl in.

"Go!" Optimus ordered. "We'll hold them off!"

As they attempted to escape, both Ratchet and Emma could see just how scared Sari was. Heck, Emma was feeling scared, too - these were her first Decepticons!

As Blitzwing's missiles formed a huge hole in the ice covering Lake Eyrie, Ratcher seized the opportunity to dive into the icy waters, with Emma and Sari both staring wide-eyed as the water hit the windscreen.

"Is this okay?" Emma whispered, before glancing at a terrified-looking Sari. "Oh, why am I even asking, of _course_ it is - Ratchet's an Autobot!"

"A grumpy, annoying, _stubborn_ old Autobot!" Sari corrected her, crossing her arms as they sank beneath the waves.

"Stubborn is something _you've_ got covered, kid!" Ratchet growled.

"Oh, but I digress, of _course_ we'll be _fine_!" Sari retorted. "Stuck down here with _that_!" She jabbed her toe at the dashboard.

"Both of you, stop it!" Emma rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Can we _please_ focus on the task at hand?"

"I am _not_ helping them leave!" Sari snapped.

"You _will_ do it, or else!" Ratchet retorted.

"_Keep_. _Focusing_." Emma said, through gritted teeth.

* * *

"Didn't think we'd forgotten about you, did you, old friend?" ratchet tenderly asked the ship, the same ship that Emma was in complete and utter awe over.

"Who are you talking to?" Sari asked, her arms still folded, like they had been since they'd gotten onto the ship.

"The ship, of course." Ratchet seemed a lot happier since they'd set foot on the ship, although not enough to make much of a difference.

"_Riiiight_..." Sari said sarcastically. "So, you get a crazy virus from that demented Decepticon?" She asked. Emma elbowed her. "What?"

"Sari, I talk to my car back home," Emma told her firmly. "But...something about this ship feels...different..." She wasn't just saying that, either. She wasn't saying it because she _knew_ it wasn't but, well, because it _did_ feel different. It felt..._alive_...there was an eerie and hollow yet _alive_ feeling to it... "How lonely it must have been down here..." Emma muttered, touching a wall of the ship gingerly. "I don't like being lonely, either." She muttered.

"I _knew_ it!" Sari accused her. "You're on their side! You _want_ them to go!" She stomped away, her nose in the air. "Well, I don't want to help my friends - or you two!"

As Sari left the room, Emma called: "Sari, wait!" But, the little girl did not. Emma's shoulders slumped. "Aww...now she's mad at me..."

"She's being stubborn about it, as usual..." Ratchet responded, pressing a few buttons on the ship to call up a status on it.

"H-hey, take it easy on her, Ratchet." Emma said, turning to him. "She's never had any friends but you guys...and, me, I guess..." She shrugged. "She's just a kid..."

"A kid or not, she's _got_ to understand what's at stake here!" Ratchet replied.

"I think she _does_," Emma said quietly. "B-but...well, hey...she likes you guys, and so do I..." She said shyly. "I don't want you guys to leave either...it makes my h-heart feel..._empty_...but, well, yeah..." She sighed. "I imagine that Sari must be feeling the same way..."

Ratchet turned to her. "You know, you're pretty smart, for a human...you also care a lot about Sari, don't you?"

Emma blushed furiously, and looked away, nodding. "I do...I really...do...umm...do you guys _really_ have to leave?" She asked, in a very small voice.

Ratchet nodded. "Yes, but believe me, if there were _any_ other way, we'd stay here...we've become fond of this planet, and of you two girls..." It was a rare moment of compassion from the grumpy old bot, and Emma appreciated it enough not to call it out, but just to gulp, nod and smile.

She waited in the weapons room, for Sari and Ratchet...she had a feeling that both of them would start seeing eye-to-optic, sooner rather than later...

* * *

"Lugnut!" Megatron said through their com-link. "Don't get distracted! I want the All-Spark, and I want that organic femme!"

Lugnut understood.

As the Autobots fell back, in order to lure the Decepticons to the ship that had just had its weapons brought back online, Lugnut said to Blitzwing: "We must stop them! Megatron wants the All-Spark, and the organic femme with the yellow-optics!"

The Autobots heard this, and were about to comment, when the Decepticons began firing at them.

"Fall back!" Optimus commanded, and the Decepticons gave chase, but they really wished that they _hadn't_, when the Autobots' ship turned out to be equipped with a water-resistant laser gun.

The Decepticons were blasted to bits, but still functioned, as the pieces of them landed on top of Lake Eyrie.

* * *

The next day, Bumblebee complained as Sari used her key to heal him from all his wounds. She was also getting a little snobby about it, saying that the key wasn't a toy and that its power was going to be needed for repairing the ship.

She was, however, stunned into a happy silence when Ratchet said that they might be around for awhile, as the ship would need awhile to repair.

Everyone else smiled, except for Emma. Emma snuck quietly out of the room, oblivious to all but Prowl.

The cyber-ninja followed her, to the roof of the warehouse, where she sat down, with Scuz in her lap.

"I really thought that they might leave, you know...?" Emma whispered, her wind-chime voice carried to Prowl by the breeze. "I dunno, I just...I _care_ about them, they're completely, you know..._awesome_? Like...I've never known anybody like them, and...I hope I can stay, in this world, too...I don't want to say goodbye to them...Optimus is cool, the way he says 'transform and roll out' whenever they leave, it's _so_ typical!" She laughed a little. "And, Ratchet, I just _knew_ that deep down he was a real sweet-spark, he kind of reminds me of Granddad...except, well, not dead...yeah..." She sighed. "Bulkhead, I've gotten to know, as well...a gentle giant, and a true friend...now, Bumblebee! Ha! He's completely out of the loop, he doesn't even know there _is_ a loop, but..." She tickled Scuz's stomach. "He's very energetic and confident, and he and Sari get along so well, it's so _cute_! And Prowl...well..."

Prowl was still, listening as hard as he possibly could.

Emma spoke softly, thinking that only Scuz was listening. "I like him the best...he cares about the planet more than most people, and he's so...I dunno, _aware_...he's a ninja, which is awesome, and he's very kind and intelligent, and...he's cute, too." She blushed, and so did Prowl. Scuz curled up into a ball at these words. "Heh, I'd just freak out if he heard me say that...oh, I'm glad they're staying! It'll be much better with them around, I'm sure of it! Who knows...I might even get over my shyness...they're not going to judge me, I know that now..."

* * *

A few days later, Sari began her own training, to be able to protect herself - and they key - from a Decepticon attack.

She was...enthusiastic, with her 'hyaa'ing, and what not, but lacked...well, a lot.

Emma watched from a crate with mild amusement, as Scuz chowed down on a bowl of mealworms.

Optimus agreed with Prowl completely, saying that Sari needed to learn to defend herself, because as the Keeper Of The Key, she was a potential target of the Decepticons.

Emma noticed that Prowl shot Optimus a Look when the boss bot said that, and then he turned to Sari and encouraged her again.

Sari nodded confidently, and tried the kick again, missing her target (Prowl) and kicking Bulkhead instead.

Bulkhead blinked, and then grabbed his leg, staggering back with a cry of: "Oh! Oh the pain! What a kick!" He toppled back into a pile of crates, and Emma jumped out of the way just in time, grabbing Scuz but not his meal.

The echidna was clearly unhappy at the loss of his mealworms, which were crawling away to freedom.

"Sorry, Scuz-Bag." Bulkhead apologized. "Do you forgive me?"

The echidna responded by curling up.

"I'll take that as a _no_..." Bulkhead sighed.

* * *

"Prime," Prowl approached Optimus early the next morning. "We've told Sari about the potential danger surrounding her and the key, but...well, what about Emma? You heard what those two Decepticons said about her..."

Optimus sighed. "Prowl, Sari only _thinks_ she could be in danger, but at least she knows why. But, if _Emma_ were to _know_ that she was in danger and have absolutely no idea as to why...do you see where I'm coming from?"

Prowl nodded. "Do you still want me to watch out for her?"

Optimus smiled slightly. "Can I stop you?"

Prowl cringed slightly. "I'll...keep her safe..." He promised, and quickly left the room, leaving Optimus standing in the warehouse room that was lit only by the early morning light.

Optimus sighed. "I hope so..." He said, to nobody in particular. "You don't want to know what it's like when you _can't_..." He looked down, and then back up again as he received a call through his com-link.

"Optimus?!" Emma was on the other end of the line, and sounded mildly panicked, speaking very quickly. "Sari's-missing-you-have-to-get-over-here-right-away!"

Optimus blinked for a second as the communications were cut, and then quickly alerted the others.

* * *

Isaac had wasted no time in dispatching people and drones to locate his missing daughter, and the police had promised to do everything they could.

Fanzone was in the reception area, getting frustrated at his mobile phone. Emma was sitting on the receptionist's desk, wearing a pair of black jeans and an old grey jumper (she had just thrown on the very first thing in her wardrobe), and drinking coffee from an industrial-sized coffee mug from Heartcash.

Fanzone was getting _beyond_ annoyed now and, as Emma watched from behind her coffee mug, he yelled: "_This is why I hate machines_!"

Emma felt sincerely sorry for the police officer that was on the other end of the line. They had spoken to both her and Isaac but, seeing as (in Emma's own words) she could be a real bear in the morning before she'd had a cup of coffee, they'd decided to let Fanzone question her with the Autobots.

"No need to be such a technophobe, Captain." Prowl said, with a hint of amusement, as he and the other Auobots seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"A technophobe," Fanzone explained angrily. "Is someone who _fears_ technology..._does this, look like fear, to you_?!" He slammed the phone onto the tiled floor, and it (the phone) shattered into a thousand and one pieces.

Prowl stared. "Umm, my mistake." He said, contritely. He glanced at Emma, whom had finished her coffee and was now staring at the security video without really seeing it. She sensed his gaze, and he motioned for her to come over to them. When she did, he picked her up and put her on his shoulder, knowing that right now she must be feeling pretty low, like she had failed to protect Sari or something.

"Any news on Sari?" Optimus wanted to know.

Fanzone calmed down, and turned to them. "Sumdac says she spent the day with you guys yesterday. Anything...out of the ordinary happen?"

"Just the usual stuff," Bulkhead scratched his head. "Hanging out...teaching her ninja nerve blows...watching cartoons..."

"Whoa!" Fanzone looked at him. "Back up...what was that?"

"Watching cartoons?"

"No, before that!" Fanzone rolled his eyes.

"Ninja nerve blows?"

Fanzone facepalmed. "You're teaching an eight-year-old to do _nerve blows_?"

"You want her to pick it up in the street?" Ratchet had his arms crossed, and looked less than a little bit thrilled.

"This is part of every protoform's elemental programming." Prowl explained, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Fanzone stared at him. "Say what?"

"Yeah, it's not like we're having her fight Decepticons." Bulkhead added.

Prowl turned to him. "Yet..." He reminded him.

"Has it ever occurred to you that hanging out with Autobots might be, you know, _dangerous_, for a little girl?" Fanzone asked them.

Ratchet and Bulkhead turned to each other, and Ratchet shrugged. They looked back at Fanzone, and Bulkhead said: "Define _dangerous_..."

Emma's eyes were glued to the security video at that stage, so she saw it when a huge shape flew across the sky. "Hey, what was that?" She asked, pointing, like she didn't already know.

Optimus had seen it too. "Roll that back..." He suggested.

"Sure thing, doll face." The robotic receptionist said, and complied.

"Is that...one of the Dino-Bots?" Optimus said, when the scene had zoomed in on the flying robot.

"The robot dinosaurs?" Ratchet glanced at Optimus. "Impossible..."

"We never did find out what happened to them after they escaped..." Optimus said.

Emma, Bulkhead and Prowl were staying in the background during all this, and Bulkhead whispered: "Think we ought to tell Prime?" He leaned in.

"What? That we moved the Dino-Bots to an island and never bothered to mention it to him?" Prowl muttered, and all three of them envisioned Optimus' reaction. It was...scary...

"But, Prowl," Emma murmured. "The flying one took Sari..."

"This, is my responsibility," Prowl said slowly. "I'll go to the Dino-Bots." He decided.

"Oh no, not without me." Bulkhead told him.

"And me." Emma said quickly.

"Fine," Prowl said. "We'll head for the island after dark..."

"Emma, you can just stick with us for the rest of the day, okay?" Bulkhead told her.

Emma nodded. "Yeah...I haven't really got much else to do today, after all..." She said, sadly.

"We'll find her." Prowl promised her. "I'm _positive_ that she's somewhere on the island..."

"With the Dino-Bots." Bulkhead added.

"That's what I was afraid of..." Emma groaned softly.

* * *

They set sail (literally) that night, and arrived on Dino-Bot Island the following morning.

Emma knew that Fanzone was following them, but decided not to mention it, since things were supposed to be taking their course. She was sure as shoe-shine not gonna just sit back and let them happen without her, of course!

"I don't understand why the Dino-Bots would abduct Sari." Prowl was saying, as they walked along the natural path by the waters. "They only wanted to be left in peace..." He was carrying Emma, because she hadn't woken up yet, and he and Bulkhead had decided not to wake her up for at least another ten to fifteen cycles. She was curled up, her face cradled in her leather gloves. She looked...peaceful...

"When I'm done with them, they're gonna be left in _pieces_!" Bulkhead threatened.

Prowl was about to tell him not to jump to conclusions, when they saw tracks that had not been made by the Dino-Bots but...by something else...

By the time they had reached the crater, and Emma was awake and walking by herself, they found that the Dino-Bots were, indeed, gone.

Sari wasn't there either, much to Bulkhead's frustration. He said that they should have just let the Dino-Bots be melted down, but Prowl disagreed, saying that the Dino-Bots had a spark, and therefore _had_ to be saved.

"So, who's gonna save Sari?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"_We_ will...somehow..." Emma muttered, biting at her thumbnail and looking around worriedly. _What if it doesn't all go according to how it should...what if, because _I'm_ here, things don't happen like they do in the cartoons?!_

She looked so worried, that Prowl picked her up again, and she clung to his shoulder as he and Bulkhead scaled the sloping crater again.

* * *

By the time Bulkhead and Prowl saved Fanzone from the quicksand, Emma was in such a worry that she seemed to have lost the power of speech. It didn't matter, since Fanzone was asking whole lot of questions and not giving any of them time to answer.

It also didn't matter, because all of the questions were answered by the Dino-Bots' arrival. The triceratops, the tyrannosaurus-rex and the pterodactyl all looked impressive, and scared the Hell out of Captain Fanzone, especially when Grimlock was advancing on him.

Prowl tried to talk to the Dino-Bots, but something was forcing them to attack...when Prowl saw the acid burns on Swoop's legs, he realised what it could be.

The Dino-Bots succeeded in cornering Prowl; Bulkhead; Fanzone and Emma, and that was when their _true_ foe made his appearance.

"Prometheus Black?!" Fanzone guessed, staring at the dripping acid man wearing the white suit.

"The name is Meltdown!" He corrected the police captain.

"What have _you_ got to do with all this?" Fanzone wanted to know, but Prowl had the answer.

"Everything! _He's_ controlling the Dino-Bots, and used them to take Sari!" The cyber-ninja said. "I saw his acid burns on their outer cases."

Emma gasped.

"Very well observed." Meltdown complimented. "It's true, the Dino-Bots have learned to..._respect_, my touch..."

The Dino-Bots cowered slightly in submission. "Me Grimlock sorry," the t-rex said. "Meltdown hurt Dino-Bots..."

"Aww..." Emma muttered, glancing at him before glaring up at Meltdown.

Bulkhead had a different thought, though, and demanded to know what Meltdown had done with Sari!

Meltdown referred to Sari as his newest experimental subject...and, Bulkhead attacked!

"Bulkhead, no!" Emma cried, as Meltdown shot some of his metal-eating acid at the big green bot, hitting him on the right side of his chest. She managed to reach him, but a trap door opened up, and swallowed Prowl and Fanzone. Emma gasped.

"Sorry," Meltdown didn't _sound_ very sorry. "I have _other_ plans for you..." He then looked at Emma, and she looked up at him. "I dunno you, kid, but I've already got a test subject. You're not gonna be able to do much, so I suggest you just stay where you are, and I _might_ let you go, when I'm done with your friends." He turned, and walked away.

Emma stared at the spot where he had disappeared, and then looked back at Bulkhead. "In the end, I haven't helped at all...I hope everybody's going to be okay..." She sat down near to where Bulkhead was lying, unawares that the Dino-Bots were watching her and that Bulkhead wasn't completely in stasis. "I can't even help you, because I don't have powers like Sari...you're all in danger, and I can't even do anything!" Frustrated tears welled in her eyes, but she swiped at them angrily. "Plus, that Meltdown guy is _so_ evil! Hurting the Dino-Bots like that! I _love_ dinosaurs, me and my Dad always used to watch _The Land Before Time_ and read books about dinosaurs...I can't _stand_ the fact that Meltdown hurt the Dino-Bots...and you...I care about you, and them..." She sighed, and lay down on the grass, unable to do much of anything else. "_I'll hold tight and change _

_The pain of the crime for having loved _

_Someone that can't get on with me _

_Even if he loves me _

_Into a secret joy, and stay alone. _

_This face that is beyond my reach _

_Will never disappear from me._" She sang, in the deep voice that the song called for, allowing her emotions to come out in song, rather than expressing them in any _other_ way.

The Dino-Bots were listening.

"Me Grimlock not want to hurt pretty organic-lady." Grimlock said. Snarl and Swoop nodded in agreement. "But, if we Dino-Bots _not_ do what Meltdown says..."

Their acid burns were still stinging. They all understood.

"But," Grimlock went on. "Pretty organic-lady _help_ Dino-Bots before, and pretty organic-lady say she _care_ about Dino-Bots! Me Grimlock..._confused_..." He hung his head.

* * *

Emma alternated between lying in the grass and checking on Bulkhead's condition, even though she really had no idea what she was looking for.

It all happened so suddenly - the ground shook slightly, and then a big metal door in the canyon-side opened, and Prowl appeared from within. He was carrying Fanzone and...

"Sari!" Emma exclaimed, spotting the little red-head. She looked a little tired, but no worse for wear. Bulkhead groaned suddenly. Emma gasped. "Sari, we need your key!"

"He's barely online..." Prowl confirmed, and Sari hurried over, climbing onto Bulkhead's chest-plate and using her All-Spark infused key to heal the big green guy.

As this happened, Emma was watching the blue power heal the acid burn. Something strange happened in her mind just then...she saw an image of two people...no, not people..._robots_...one was a male, he was orange and yellow with green eyes...the other was clearly female, she was blue and black, with violet eyes and matching lipstick...there was a regal feeling to the whole image, and one that was full of warmth and comfort...

The image disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, and Emma shook her head slightly, unsure of what she had just seen or even if it had been _real_...

"Sari..." Bulkhead was saying. "You're okay...I found you...how'd I do that?"

Sari looked surprised, but then she smiled, and said: "You're the best!"

Bulkhead glanced at Emma. "Was that you...singing...before?" Emma blushed. "It was..._pretty_..."

Sari and Fanzone were surprised, but Prowl was possibly the _most_ surprised. They hadn't known that Emma could sing...

"I'm just glad that everybody's okay." Emma muttered, before glancing up again. "Or, maybe _not_..."

"How _touching_!" Meltdown was back, and he was flanked by the Dino-Bots. "I do love a happy ending! It melts the heart...along with _other_ body parts!" He raised his hand, preparing to fire his acid at Prowl and Bulkhead!

"_Oh, no you don't_!" Emma cried, and sprung. She aimed the punch she had dreamed about directly at Meltdown's head, her leather gloves saving her from being burned. She then added the kick that Victoria had taught her, catching him around the neck and knocking him to the ground. "_That_ was for Bulkhead, and the Dino-Bots! Jerk." She added, for good measures.

Fanzone then used the white sheet that he'd been carrying to tie up Meltdown in what was effectively a straight-jacket.

"How did you _do_ that?" Sari asked Emma, looking up at her in awe.

Emma gulped. "Umm...I just..." She shrugged. "Had a really weird dream about it..." She noticed that Prowl was staring at her, and she looked away.

"Dino-Bots, attack!" Meltdown ordered. "Get that girl, first!" He added, and Emma gasped as the Dino-Bots all roared, although they seemed very hesitant.

"Wait!" Prowl held out his hand. "You _don't_ have to do what he says! Look at him! He has no power now! He cannot...hurt you..." He said.

Grimlock leaned down, glaring at Meltdown in a way that Meltdown did _not_ like. "Meltdown not hurt Dino-Bots...Dino-Bots not hurt pretty organic-lady...Dino-Bots hurt Meltdown!"

The Dino-Bots then transformed.

Everybody eyes (or optics) just about bugged out of his or her head just then, seeing the newly transformed Dino-Bots, with their Autobot symbols.

"What the...?" Fanzone flinched.

"_Whoa_..." Sari breathed.

"Uh...they couldn't _do_ that before..." Bulkhead said, wearily. "Right?"

"They called me pretty..." Emma blinked. Everybody looked at her. "Oh, and they're Transformers now, too!"

* * *

On the way back to the mainland, Prowl was glad to hear from Fanzone that the Dino-Bots would be allowed to stay on the island, as long as they stayed away from the city.

Sari, meanwhile, was begging Emma to teach her the awesome punch-kick-combo from before.

Emma finally gave in, and Sari tried again, using it on Bulkhead's leg. He paused, and then jumped up and down in mock pain, before falling through a hole in the deck to the second level.

"I'm..._okay_!" Bulkhead assured everybody.

"I still ain't so sure about teaching ninja moves to an eight-year-old..." Fanzone said to Prowl.

"Perhaps you're right." Prowl mused. "It seems that Sari is more than capable of taking care of herself...in her own, _unique_ way..."

"And, what about the would-be shy and quiet Nanny?" Fanzone wanted to know.

"It's the shy and quiet ones that you have to watch out for..." Prowl responded, smiling slightly...

* * *

watch?v=Knjty-2CCP4 - Sailor Pluto, Stay Alone...


	9. Transient Firework

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER NINE

Transient Firework

* * *

Bulkhead was having a bad day. He had saved the city from a runaway missile, but had destroyed a bunch of cars and a reporter bot in the process, making a little kid cry and his Mother scold Bulkhead in front of everybody.

Sari; Bumblebee and Emma tried to comfort him.

"Come on...I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad." Sari smiled.

"You saved the city, right?" Emma added, looking up from a lesson plan she was reviewing for Sari (one that Sari probably would never get around to completing).

"After _destroying_ half of it." Bumblebee added, and Sari gave him a Look. "What?"

"I know," Sari ignored Bumblebee and turned back to Bulkhead. "You need to do something creative. You know, make stuff instead of break it. Like...knitting, or...cooking...or art!"

"Who's art?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"It's not a who, it's a what." Sari replied. "Art is, well, it's when you create an image because it _means_ something to you, like what Emma's doing on the computer right now."

"I am not!" Emma exclaimed.

"Only because you just pressed command+tab." Sari rolled her eyes. She turned back to Bulkhead. "Do you understand?"

"Oh, you mean like _this_?" Bulkhead got up and grabbed a roller off of something, before somehow using it to create an image of him and his fellow Autobots on a nearby wall.

"How did he _do_ that?" Sari whispered.

"It's cool - kind of like a printer." Emma responded. "Hey, Bulkster, d'ya think you could print out this lesson plan for me?"

"No, don't do it, it's a trap!" Sari cried.

* * *

Over the next few days, Bulkhead learned to embrace art, although the other Autobots seemed...skeptical.

Emma, meanwhile, was busy sneaking off to her martial arts lessons with Victoria and Sai.

Victoria had a plan. "You need to focus more, and that is hard to do in the city. We need to spend a night in the woods, to really embrace the true meaning of tranquility. Your boss will let you take a day off, right?"

"I...guess..." Emma shrugged. "Okay, why not...it could be...fun..."

* * *

Sai drove Victoria and Emma to the woods behind the city the following afternoon, and Victoria asked him to come back for them the next day. Emma hadn't told Isaac _exactly_ what she was doing, just that she needed the night off, and he had agreed. He seemed a bit...preoccupied...

"Victoria," Emma said, as she watched Victoria set up camp. "Can I tell you something?"

"If you help me with this then yes, you may." Victoria handed Emma a tent peg, and then watched in amusement as the younger woman struggled to put up a tent for the first time...ever. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"

"Well, something strange happened the other day, just before I was able to use the punch-kick combo we'd been working on." Emma said, as they sat down on a cliff over-looking the city. "It was when Sari used her special key on Bulkhead, to heal him. Her key's been infused with a powerful alien power called the All-Spark." Victoria nodded. "When the flash happened...it was weird, but I _saw_ something...some robots I'd never seen before...then, after I saw that, I was able to use the attack to take down Meltdown...weird, huh?"

Victoria smiled slightly, her grey eyes glittering. "No, Emma, I do not think that is weird at all...there are many reasons why we fight. Some do it for honor, for others, it is the sense of _protecting_ those that we love. Whatever the reason, you must find your own..."

"Yes, but those robots were...unfamiliar, and yet...I feel like I've seen them before..." Emma muttered. "Somehow..."

Victoria was looking at her, but didn't say anything. _She doesn't quite remember _how_ to remember just yet..._ The older woman thought, closing her grey eyes briefly. _But, soon, we believe that she will..._

* * *

The next morning, Emma woke up first, which seemed strange except for the fact that she hadn't really slept at all. She'd never fallen asleep outside before, even all those times she'd been locked out of the house as a punishment by her parents, and she'd spent most of the night panicking about centipedes and other wriggly bugs.

She got up quietly, leaving Victoria asleep, and walked off into the woods. If _sleeping_ outside was strange for her, then using the bathroom outdoors was even _stranger_, but she was somehow okay. As she was making her way back to the campsite, she decided to stop by the river to wash her face. If Victoria wanted her to get more in touch with nature, then she would!

As she was splashing the (freezing) cold water onto her face, she sensed somebody was watching her, and glanced up.

Standing on the other side of the stream was a young man, one she had never seen before. He was tall, with messy black hair and slightly pale skin. He wore a pair of black jeans, black boots, a dark pinkish-purple shirt and an orange tie.

It was his red eyes that first alerted Emma to the fact that something bad was about to happen. It made her feel like Charmer in The Animals Of Farthing Wood, when she is confronted by Scarface's son at the stream.

"Wh-who are you?" She asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She gulped. _A Decepticon? there's something familiar about that colour-scheme..._ "Are you a...?"

"A Decepticon?" The man finally spoke. "Sure..." He took a step forwards, and Emma took a step backwards automatically. The Decepticon smiled crookedly. "Now, would I hurt anything so lovely?" Emma either paled or blushed, she really couldn't tell which. "Even if you _are_ walking around as an organic...which, begs the next question..."

"_What are you doing_?!" A German voice suddenly called, and a young blonde man in a beige military outfit shot out of the trees, to land beside the black-haired man. He suddenly straightened up, and said, in a much calmer voice: "You are supposed to be scouting the area, and finding a use for our new forms, _not_ fraternizing with the natives." He suddenly turned to Emma and, in a voice that could only be described as _crazy_, cackled: "Ooh-hoo-hoo, but she looks familiar! Now, where have I seen her before?"

There was a tremendous crashing, and a big man that kind of reminded Emma of Bulkhead crashed through the trees. He was bald, and had on purple and aqua combat clothes. He growled: "Of _course_ she does, Blitzwing! That is the organic femme that our glorious leader, Megatron, ordered us to capture!"

Emma was frozen to the spot. _They've been ordered to...capture me? But...why?_

"Hold on a nanoclick!" The black-haired man said angrily. "_I_, the great and powerful _Starscream_ am your leader, Lugnut! And, don't you ever forget it!"

"Ah, you two..." Blitzwing began, but he was drowned out by the two in question.

Lugnut pushed his face up close to Starscream's. "Now, you listen here, Starscream! You may _think_ yourself our leader, but _Megatron_ is the TRUE leader of the Decepticons, understand?!"

"Perhaps you two should..." Blitzwing tried again.

"Megatron isn't even _here_, Lugnut!" Starscream yelled.

"Uh, have you noticed...?" Blitzwing was starting to lose his patience.

"He _is_ here! I can feel his spirit is somewhere here on this pathetic planet!" Lugnut declared. "Once we find the All-Spark, it will lead us to Megatron, and he will have it and the organic femme as well!"

Starscream started to yell something back, his red eyes flashing, but Hotheaded-Blitzwing suddenly shouted: "THE FEMME IS GETTING AWAY!"

"Huh?" Both Starscream and Lugnut turned, to see that Emma had disappeared into the trees again.

"After her!" Lugnut ordered, and the three Decepticons gave chase.

Emma, meanwhile, was running for her life, or for her freedom, she wasn't sure which. Her heart was hammering in her chest unbelievably hard, as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

_Why are they after me? What did Megatron say? Is it because he knows I'm staying with Sari, and that I'm friends with the Autobots? Is he going to use me somehow to get to them?_

Emma was so busy thinking about all this, that she didn't even look where she was running - and suddenly found herself on the edge of a cliff!

She gasped, and managed to stop in time, but the rocks under her feet gave way, and she felt like time slowed down as she twisted, and then fell backwards. _So, this is it...this is how I die...that's what I get for taking a break and lying to everybody about where I'm going...nature must _hate_ me..._

She closed her eyes as she fell, and must've hit her head on a rock that was jutting out. She felt herself land in something that was both soft and hard at the same time, and drifted into the blackness wondering if she was in the hand of Primus himself...

* * *

"Is she okay, is she okay, is she okay?!"

The _very_ first thing that Emma heard when she regained consciousness was Sari's worried little voice, from somewhere to her left.

"I dunno, she looks a bit..._peaky_..." That was Bulkhead.

"Well, she _did_ just fall off a cliff." Prowl pointed out.

"Yeah, Bulkhead, let's walk you off the Sumdac Tower..." Bumblebee suggested.

"And see how _you_ look." Sari added.

Emma heard Sari and Bumblebee high-five, and opened her eyes groggily. "A right sight better than he _usually_ looks, I'd wager."

She was met with the seven relieved faces of the Autobots and Sari and Isaac.

Ratchet's expression immediately changed, however, and he crossed his arms. "You, on the other hand, are lucky to even be _alive_, after what happened."

Emma sat up, putting a hand to her head, which was wrapped in bandages. "Which is...?"

"You fell." A voice said simply, from by the window, where Victoria was standing. "Off a cliff, as Prowl said." She added.

"Oh." Emma said, in a small voice. "But, how...augh, it's all so blurry...I remember...I remember being chased..."

"By what?" Sari wanted to know.

Emma's eyes widened. "By the Decepticons!" Everybody looked at her quickly. "The three Decepticons, Starscream; Blitzwing and Lugnut! They have holoforms now, just like you guys, and...and they said..." She lowered her eyes. "They said something about being ordered to...well, to _capture_ me, but I don't know why..."

The Autobots exchanged a glance, and then Prowl said: "You don't have to worry, Emma - we'll protect you."

"_Hey_," Sari said suspiciously. "How come when _I'm_ the one in danger, you always say: 'oh, Sari, you must learn to protect yourself, since we won't always be here'?"

Prowl gave her a Look. "I do _not_ sound like that."

"You can't hear yourself the way others do." Sari shrugged.

Emma sighed. "Umm, Victoria's kind of been...teaching me self-defense..." Sari and Prowl stopped glaring at each other and looked at Emma. "I didn't tell you, because...well..." She glanced helplessly at Victoria.

"Emma simply wanted to become stronger, before she told you." Victoria supplied.

Optimus nodded. "I can understand that...so, your being up there in the mountains was...?"

"A training exercise." Victoria stated. "However, had I known that the Decepticons were up there, then I would have never suggested that spot to camp."

"You went _camping_?" Sari's maroon eyes glittered. "_Cool_!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "If you call bugs and Decepticons _cool_ then, yeah...but...when I fell, I felt like I was caught by something...or...some_bot_, but..." She shook her head. "Augh, I don't _ever_ want to do that again..."

"Yes, well, see to it that you _don't_." Ratchet told her firmly. He shook his head as well. "First human criminals and then the Decepticons have holoforms? What's next - _vampires_?"

He didn't see Emma cringe deeply at those words.

Then, Emma asked: "Umm, how long was I out for?" She had just noticed the reindeer on Sari's brooch.

Sari and Isaac exchanged a glance, and then Sari said: "Well...just over a fortnight."

"You missed Christmas." Bumblebee added.

...

"WHAT?!"

* * *

A few days later, Emma ventured outside with Sari, to discover that the city had, overnight, been blanketed in another thick cover of snow.

"_Whoa_..." Emma gasped, as tiny flecks of white fell into her face. She was bundled up in shades of grey and black, with a woolen hat covering the bandages on her head. The outfit had been a Christmas present from Isaac to her, but she _still_ wasn't sure how she felt about missing Christmas, and was trying desperately to figure out the timeline of events. Scuz-Bag had been staying indoors, out of the cold, although echidnas _could_ survive in fairly harsh environments.

"Is this your first time seeing snow?" Sari turned to her with a grin.

Emma nodded, as Bumblebee pulled up, honking the horn as he did so.

"Hey, you two femmes going my way?" Bumblebee asked.

Emma and Sari giggled, and climbed in. They set off towards the Autobot's base.

"You know, it's really too bad about you missing Christmas, Em." Bumblebee told her. "I really wanted to hear you singing the carols of Christmas that everybody else sang."

"Yeah, well, you'll just have to wait until _next_ year." Sari said firmly, crossing her arms. She was decked out in yellow and orange winter gear, complete with a pair of ear muffs. "My Dad says you can _only_ sing Christmas Carols from the first of December to the twenty-sixth, and then that's it."

"But, don't some of the songs talk about New Year, as well?" Bumblebee stated.

"Doesn't matter." Sari was firm.

As Emma listened to this, she thought that, probably, if her calculations were correct, then season one of the cartoons ended in about January. Then, season two would take place between then and about September, and then season _three_ would happen, complete with the Christmas when Porter C. Powell began selling Soundwave toys to all the unfortunate boys and girls.

That was the only logical explanation she could come up with.

* * *

"It's as though...humans are forever at _war_ with nature..." Prowl was saying. "Beauty literally _falls_ from the sky, and they immediately rush to spoil it with their machines." He was pacing up and down in frustration, but Emma was really the only one listening to him. Sari and Bumblebee were busy playing their video game. "They will not rest until all of nature's beauty is..." He suddenly stopped pacing. "Have you even heard a word I've said?"

"I have," Emma said, from where she was lying on the back of the couch. She peered up at him from beneath her hat. "_But_, those two...?"

Sari and Bumblebee were too preoccupied with their video game to notice anything, that is until Prowl reached over and grabbed the earphones off of the yellow robot.

"Bumblebee, is your commitment to all these electronic devices really necessary?" The cyber-ninja wanted to know.

"Uh, hate to break it to you, Prowl," Bumblebee nudged the cyber-ninja's holographic projector. "But, you _are_ one of these electronic devices. Besides, nature's over-rated - it's what got Emma injured." He added.

"_Noooo_," Emma told him. "Running from the _Decepticons_ is what got me injured. Nature just...provided a nice backdrop to my...fall into...the abyss." She finished meekly.

Prowl shut the lid of the Gamecube-like video game console.

"Hey!" Sari sprung up. "What'ja do _that_ for?!"

"I was on level two hundred and thirty!" Bumblebee added crossly.

"It's not the end of the world." Emma responded, sitting up slowly, just as a beeping from the monitors could be heard.

"Autobots, listen up!" Optimus called. "Teletran-One's picking up a strange Cybertronian energy signal coming from the woods just outside the city." He told them, as they all came over to where he was.

"The Decepticons?" Emma asked worriedly.

"No, it's a non-sentient being." Optimus reassured her. "Most likely a piece of our ship, but I need someone to track it down and bring it back to our base. Before it falls into the wrong hands." He added, and she nodded knowingly. Even though it had been over three weeks ago, the memory of her solo encounter with the three Decepticons was still fresh in her mind, and she'd had more strange dreams in the days that she'd been conscious, usually about them.

"So..." Emma began, only to be cut off by a very high-pitched _squeal_ from Sari.

"It's _my_ turn to go camping!" The little red-head cheered, and then coughed suddenly, straightening up. "I mean, as your resident earth expert, I should go along to...supervise, and...held explain the complexities of nature!" She grinned a grin that reminded Emma suddenly of a cross between Simba the lion and the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland.

"Well, I don't suppose there's any harm in you going, Sari..." Optimus told her, sounding slightly amused.

Emma sighed. "Guess that means I'm going too...just...keep me away from any cliffs..." She muttered, rubbing the side of her head.

"Dually noted." Prowl nodded.

"We are going camping, we are going camping!" Sari grabbed Emma, and danced around with her, conga-style.

Bumblebee was a little less than enthusiastic about the whole idea, and said that his circuits would fry from boredom!

"We are going camping!" Bulkhead, in his holoform, had joined in the dance.

"Bulkhead!" Bumblebee complained.

"Well, sorry, I just got caught up in the rhythm." Bulkhead said sheepishly, and left the room.

"Don't worry, Bumblebee," Sari told him. "Camping is fun. _I'll_ show you guys the ropes."

"Actually, you _both_ could stand to unplug yourselves for a day or two," Optimus said to Bumblebee and Prowl. "Think of it as a...character builder."

Bumblebee and Prowl exchanged a glance.

* * *

That very same day, they travelled into the mountains. Sari rode with Bumblebee, and Emma rode with Prowl, her arms wrapped tightly around his holoform's waist.

Prowl was saying that there was more to nature than odd human customs and mellow-marshes (he meant marshmallows). He pulled ahead slightly. "There are so many aspects to nature...I doubt many humans that are in the cities would know what to do out here..."

Emma said: "My Dad and I used to watch a show together, called Man VS Wild. It was about a guy named Bear, that would get dropped off in the middle of the wilderness, like in the middle of Amazon Jungle or something, and then he'd show you how to survive in the extreme conditions, and how to find your way back to civilization."

Prowl's holoform nodded. "It sounds...impressive." He commented.

"Umm, not really...Bear eats snakes and scorpions and other strange things...he also slept inside a dead camel once..."

"Oh...well, that's less impressive..."

* * *

They arrived at a place where going forth in vehicle mode would no longer be an option, and Prowl's holoform disappeared before he transformed, landing gracefully with Emma in his hands. She clutched the straps of her black backpack with the small pair of silver wings on the back of it (another Christmas present), which contained a change of underwear; a small box of instant coffee; a traveling mug; a water bottle; the book she was reading (Angel); a small tin of cooking chocolate; some crackers; and some trail mix. She'd never tried trail mix before, but had read about in the Pony Pals, and Sari had _assured_ her that trail mix was tasty but, then again, how would _Sari_ know? She probably didn't even know what was _in_ it. Like polony, it might be better off _not_ to know...

"We'll proceed on foot from here." Prowl said, decidedly, as Bumblebee drove up.

Prowl and Emma watched as the little yellow car fidgeted, and then everything inside of him (including Sari) fell out.

"Ah...at least I can get this _junk_ out of me..." Bumblebee said, as he transformed swiftly. "I was feeling kind of bloated..."

Various knickknacks fell to the ground all around him.

Prowl stared at him.

"What? You said to pack the _bare_ essentials." Bumblebee shrugged.

Prowl walked up to him quickly. "Since _when_ are surround-sound speakers; a strobe light and a handheld media player _bare_ essentials?"

"You should've seen what I left back at the plant." Bumblebee replied.

"Where did you even find _room_ for all of this _junk_?" Prowl wondered, walking off with Emma sitting on his shoulder, looking back at Bumblebee and Sari with amusement.

"I'd...rather not say..." Bumblebee said, in a very small voice...

* * *

Later that night, Prowl was meditating on the cliffside, and Emma was leaning against a tree, reading her book. She'd just gotten up to the part where Max discovers that cold water is the key to breaking the brainwashing done to Iggy, when there was an almighty crash, and the tent collapsed onto Bumblebee.

"Ah...nuts and bolts to this..." The yellow robot decided.

Emma went back to her book.

"So...where do they hide the outlets?" Bumblebee asked, holding up a flat-screen with a power chord.

Prowl sighed in frustration. "For the hundredth time, there _is_ not electricity in the woods," he turned his head to look at Bumblebee. "_Fire_ is what provides warmth and light! It's also nature's way of cleansing..."

Bumblebee got up close to him, and pointed out: "Chainsaws and pavement are _much_ more effective!"

"Easy for _you_ to say, Bee," Emma looked up again from her book. Prowl and Bumblebee glanced at her. "Trees are what provide the means for us organics to _breathe_ - we breathe out carbon dioxide and plants breathe it _in_, then they breathe out oxygen for us to breathe in...without trees, we'd be dead..."

"Yeah, but..._how_ do you do it?" Bumblebee wanted to know.

Emma shrugged. "I dunno how we does it, we just does it. Now, one of you _please_ help Sari, before she..."

"Ow!" Sari struck her thumb with the rock, that she was trying to use to light a fire. "Some help from that cleansing fire would be _greatly_ appreciated - these marshmallows aren't going to roast themselves!"

"Sari..." Bumblebee looked at her. "Have you ever actually _been_ camping?"

"Well," she said, indignantly. "Of course I've...seen it...in a movie!" She looked away, sheepishly. "Maybe..."

Bumblebee was about to help her with the fire, when Prowl and Emma decided to step in.

As Prowl swiftly lit the fire (faster than most humans could _ever_ hope to achieve it), Emma swiftly set up the tent the way Victoria had shown her how to do it a few weeks ago. They both glanced at each other when they'd finished, and nodded.

"See?" Sari crossed her arms smugly. "I don't need to learn _any_ of this survival stuff - I've got _you_ guys to back me up!"

Prowl had a very stern look about his face, as he lectured: "You _must_ learn to survive _without_ the aid of machines. You never know when you won't have them." He leaned down to look at Sari.

She glared back up at him. "Mmhmm." She said, in a way that meant 'I just completely ignored everything you just said, Mister'. "So! Wanna hear a ghost story?" She asked, rubbing her hands together.

"_Hear_ a ghost story?" Bumblebee grinned. "I just found batteries for my media player! Which one do you wanna watch?"

"You don't even have a screen to project it onto." Prowl pointed out.

"_Way_ ahead of you, nature-boy." Bumblebee smirked.

Emma had to giggle. "Nature-boy, he says..." She shook her head. Sari grinned.

Bumblebee plugged the media player into the back of Prowl's holographic projector.

Prowl gasped.

A terrifying movie about two mountain hikers being attacked by a bear came on, but it was quickly disengaged by Prowl. He held the media player in his hand now and, with one action, he destroyed it (the media player).

"NO!" Bumblebee screamed.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Bumblebee was _still_ going on about his media player, and it was getting on Prowl's last nerve. Emma sighed. "Okay, Bee, tell you what - we'll make some s'mores, and then I'll tell you a ghost story that's _way_ more scary than _anything_ you'd _ever_ see on TV."

Sari and Bumblebee looked at her.

"You brought the stuff to make s'mores?" Sari asked her, at the same time as Bumblebee blinked and said: "_You_ know _ghost_ stories?"

"_Yes_, I do." Emma said. "Come on, I've never eaten a s'more before." She smiled.

"Me either!" Bumblebee assumed his holoform. "Come on Sari, show us how to make them!"

"Okay!" Sari grinned, and went to Emma's backpack to get the cooking chocolate and crackers.

Emma glanced at Prowl, and he smiled slightly. She smiled back. Crisis averted.

* * *

"Our story takes place in a land faraway, that was once a beautiful place filled beautiful people." Emma was saying, not long afterwards, as they all sat around the campfire eating s'mores. Even _Prowl_ had decided to try one, and found that he liked the combination of cracker/chocolate/marshmallow, although he wasn't about to admit it. "It was a prosperous place, where the Queen and her beloved husband ruled, with their three beautiful daughters. However, the youngest daughter had a beautiful power, one that was desired by all those that knew about, but none more so than one..." As she spoke, she closed her eyes, remembering the story that the stranger had told her at Isaac's Halloween party. There was something..._familiar_, about this story and, as she spoke, it seemed only fitting that the moon should go behind a cloud. "The Lord of the Vampires, whose name was too terrifying to even be spoken in normal conversations. He was a dark and shadowy figure, one whom had succeeded in covering more worlds with darkness than anybody else. He was a creature of the night, one that was capable of sweeping in and out of the shadows. And, should he inject his venom into the neck of his prey, then they too would become a creature of darkness. Now, it just so happened that the Vampire Lord was able to betray the people that the Royal Family had trusted, thus gaining access to the world. He lay waste to it upon the hour of midnight, destroying the souls of all those that opposed him. When he laid eyes on the littlest Princess, however, he said, in a cold and polite voice, with a smile that showed off his glittering fangs: 'Come to me, my dear, for there is nothing left for you here...' The littlest Princess was terrified, and ran back into the palace, where she had always known warmth. Inside, however, she found only death and destruction and, upon entering the throne room, found the spirits of her family. Ghostly figures, trapped in an endless waltz that would carry them in this way until eternity..." Emma was speaking very softly, unawares that the eyes of Sari and Bumblebee had gone _huge_, and that even Prowl was staring at her in shock. "Then, the littlest Princess heard the voice of the Vampire Lord from behind her. 'They will be allowed to rest during the day, my dear, for we Vampires are creatures that know only the night...you may be able to escape, but when you look down at the shadows cast by the moonlight...know that they are always...me...'."

Emma opened her eyes, and found Sari and Bumblebee clinging to each other, shaking.

"Uh, what?" Emma asked them.

"That story!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"It was _terrifying_!" Sari exclaimed. Well, she _was_ only eight years old...

"Really?" Emma blinked.

Bumblebee nodded. "Uh-huh! It's like the story they used to tell us back on Cybertron! It was..."

"Strangely similar." Prowl stated flatly, standing up and stretching. "Well, good luck getting to sleep tonight, everybody." He added, with a glance around at the group.

Sari and Bumblebee shivered.

"C-can I sleep with you tonight?" Sari asked Bumblebee, in a small voice.

"I-I was just about to ask you the s-same thing!" Bumblebee replied.

* * *

Later that night, Sari slept in the front passenger seat of Bumblebee's alt mode.

Emma was sitting by the fire, with her head resting against Prowl's leg.

"Emma, where did you hear that story from?" Prowl wanted to know.

"A stranger at Isaac's party in October told it to me..." Emma muttered sleepily. "The guy I danced with just after you..."

"Did he...say anything else to you?" Prowl asked quickly.

"N-no, not really..." Emma shook her head, her eyelids fluttering sleepily. "Prowl...are there...Vampire Transformers?" She wanted to know.

Prowl was silent for a moment, before he said: "A long time ago, there were, but...not anymore..."

"Oh..." Emma thought about this. "Well, that's good..." She closed her eyes, and felt Prowl's hand on her back, like a comforting blanket. Smiling, but also feeling a little bit shy, Emma was just getting ready to go off to sleep, and so was Prowl.

This, of course, lasted about five seconds, when there was a sound from the woods around them.

Inside of Bumblebee's alt mode, Sari woke up instantly. "What was that?!" She gasped.

"_Vampire_!" Bumblebee cried, transforming quickly and throwing Sari out onto the ground in the process.

As Emma hurried over to help Sari up, the little girl in question told Bumblebee to relax, but Bumblebee would not be persuaded to calm down.

Prowl said that it was just a bear.

Unfortunately for the four of them, it was _not_ just a bear.

"Jeez Prowl, I didn't know bears had _shovels_ for hands..." Bumblebee glared at him.

Emma and Sari stared in horror at the...thing. It was as big as any Transformer, and obviously mutated from something else...

Prowl said that they first had to determine the creature's intentions. He was sent flying by one of its shovel hands.

As Emma and Sari ran to him, Bumblebee said: "Yeah...I'm gonna go with...hostile..." Then, his optics opened wide. "_Sari, look out_!" he shouted, as the thing advanced upon her, and raised a sickle-like hand.

Sari gasped.

Emma was too stunned to move, her heart hammering in her chest, and Prowl was too _injured_ to move.

Sari grabbed onto Prowl's left arm, and screamed her high-pitched scream, just as Bumblebee ran around to the creature's front and aimed his stingers at it.

It staggered backwards, shocked slightly.

"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" Bumblebee yelled to it.

If it could have, then the creature probably would have said 'you mean like...you?!'. It aimed its sickle-hand at them.

Bumblebee grabbed Sari and Prowl grabbed Emma, and the two mechs leapt away in different directions.

Prowl attempted to attack it with his shurikens...but, they were just absorbed into the creature's sticky skin!

Bumblebee and Prowl gasped.

"The creature appears to be made of metal wrapped in living organisms..." Prowl mused.

"I think it might be from Cybertron." Sari said quietly.

"What makes you say that?" Prowl looked at her.

"Call it a hunch." She said flatly, looking down at her key, which was glowing a steady blue and pointed straight at the creature.

Emma closed her eyes, and saw what appeared to be a large metal bat lunging at her, screeching. She opened her eyes quickly as the key's light faded, and thought that maybe she'd been watching too many movies lately...

"So much for our piece of our spaceship theory!" Bumblebee said. "How do we stop it?"

"Just like any other opponent - search for its weakness!" Prowl said, as he engaged the creature in battle.

The creature was fast, and strong, too.

"Still searching, I take it?" Bumblebee asked, as he held Sari in his arms, and Emma clung to his neck.

"We just need to...formulate a plan..." Prowl said, stepping back.

Bumblebee peered out from behind a tree. "How's _this_ for a plan? RUN!" And, he did so, with Prowl right behind him. Bumblebee, not able to run so fast with both girls, somehow managed to pass Emma over to Prowl, and the four of them escaped deeper into the snow-covered woods.

They eventually stopped.

"I think we've lost it." Prowl said.

"What'd I tell you about camping?" Bumblebee asked, as Sari jumped down to the ground. "_Vampires_. TV is _always_ right." He added, as Sari dusted the snow off of her.

"So, wait, Vampires _are_ real?" Sari wanted to know. "Tutor-Bot is such a liar!"

"That wasn't a Vampire, Sari." Emma said quietly.

"You said yourself that it was Cybertronian, Sari." Prowl added.

"You got anything _that_ ugly back on Cybertron?" Sari argued.

"Yeah," Bumblebee nodded. "But...Bulkhead's back at the plant."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Let's focus, _please_," Prowl said, irritably. "And, stick to the facts! We know it's made of non-sentient metal, coupled with living organisms and gives of a Cybertronian energy signal..." He and Bumblebee suddenly gasped, and said, in unison: "Space Barnacles!"

"Barnacles?" Sari glanced at Emma, remembering one of their lessons. "You mean...those gross things that attach to boats?" She made a face.

Prowl nodded. "Only, when Space Barnacles attach to a ship, they drain its energy and act like a computer virus. They must have picked up residual Cybertronian energy on our ship before we crashed on earth..."

"That would explain the signal Prime was picking up..." Bumblebee added. "So, why not just burn them off like we used to do with the barnacles on our ship?"

"These...seem more powerful," Prowl said thoughtfully. "They weren't draining energy from those construction machines...they were controlling them...something on earth must have mutated them..."

Bumblebee couldn't resist. "Probably all this fresh air." He smirked. "Give him the bright lights, big city."

"And, they could end up taking over every machine in Detroit." Prowl pointed out. "Or, have you forgotten how quickly Space Barnacles can multiply?"

"So...we have to go back and _find_ that thing..." Bumblebee realised.

"Aw, great..." Sari complained, as her key began glowing. "Just when we got done running _away_ from it!"

_Yeah..._ Emma thought, worried. _So, what gets to happen if it infects Prowl and Bumblebee?_

* * *

They walked through the forest, with Sari's key acting like a beacon.

When they got close to one of Isaac's mining sites, the key began picking up a signal, and flashing on and off like a little lightbulb that blinks.

Prowl partially answered Emma's unspoken question from before, warning Bumblebee _not_ to let the barnacles touch him.

Emma and Sari stood back, as Bumblebee and Prowl waited to face the creature. Bumblebee had his stingers, Prowl had a metal pole that he would use like a bo staff, Sari had a snow ball, and Emma...well, she had nothing, but what else was new?

Emma's heart was hammering in her chest with anticipation.

"Attention Barnacle Monster!" Bumblebee called, holding his stingered-hands out like a megaphone. "Come out with your hands over your...well, you don't have a head, but you get the idea!"

Sari and Emma sighed.

"Do you _mind_?" Prowl glared at Bumblebee.

"What?" Bumblebee asked him. "I'm just trying to break the tension..."

A snowball hit Prowl's helmet. "Do _you_ mind?!" He asked Sari.

"That wasn't me!" Sari held up the snowball that she had.

And, then, of course, they all looked up, to find that the creature was on the cliff above them.

It caused the snow to cave in, trapping Sari and Bumblebee in the mine!

Meanwhile, Emma and Prowl had jumped out of the way, and landed several feet away from each other.

As Emma stood up shakily, she gasped when she realised that the creature was advancing upon her.

It stopped and turned around, however, when Prowl threw something sharp and pointy at it (just what it was, Emma had never had any idea).

Prowl had his arms crossed, and was glaring at the monster, but, it was only a hologram, one that disappeared as the monster crashed past it and into the cliff-face.

Prowl, meanwhile, had gotten to Emma and moved her to a safer place, as a hole was opened in the mountainside, allowing Bumblebee and Sari to escape.

Just as well, too, because the creature soon had Prowl pinned against a tree, but Bumblebee quickly used his stingers to electrocute the thing!

"Forget roasting swamp-mallows!" Bumblebee said.

"That's _marsh_mallows." Sari rolled her eyes.

Bumblebee was thrilled when the thing fell off a cliff, and into the shallow river below.

Sari looked at Emma. "And to think, that could've been _you_..."

Emma tugged at her turtleneck, and the glanced at Prowl. Her heart began hammering in her chest. "Guys...something's wrong...with Prowl!" _I was kind of hoping this next bit _didn't_ have to happen..._

"Run!" Prowl told them, in the last few moments before the Space Barnacles took over, and then he was copying the monster from before, advancing upon them, as the Space Barnacles slowly consumed him.

Sari shrieked.

"We're slagged." Bumblebee realised.

"Maybe the key will heal him?" Sari suggested.

Prowl (or, if it really _was_ still him) lunged at her, and Bumblebee whisked her away just in time.

Prowl fell face-first into the snow.

Bumblebee grabbed Emma as well, and decided to take Prowl's advice and run!

"But, what about Prowl?!" Emma exclaimed.

Neither Bumblebee nor Sari had an answer for her.

"Or, better yet, _drive_!" He transformed, throwing both the girls into the front seat of his alt mode, and speeding off into the woods.

Bumblebee was forced to transform and face Prowl, after deciding to lure him back to the mines somehow. Prowl advanced on a fallen Bumblebee, but Sari used a tree branch to knock Prowl down a short cliff, as Bumblebee shook the snow off his face (it had resembled a beard). He and Sari exchanged a special smile, and Emma felt a pang in her chest.

They decided to follow Bumblebee's tyre-tracks back to the mines, and they did so, with Prowl right behind them!

* * *

They arrived back at the mines, and Sari had a gleeful little idea, to get back at Emma for the terrifying ghost story she'd told earlier on.

"That's right, Barnacle Boy!" Sari stood behind Emma and used her hands to pretend to measure the curves of the older woman. "You know you want her!"

"Sari!" Emma cried in disbelief. "Where do you _learn_ this stuff from?!"

"Well, at least he's following us." Sari pointed out, as they hurried deeper into the mines and Prowl followed them.

"Yeah, but next time, use somebody _else_ as live bait!" Emma exclaimed.

"You're the only one he wants." Sari replied, shrugging.

"_Sari_!" Emma couldn't believe it...

Bumblebee then used his stingers to cave in the entrance.

"You were supposed to do that from the _outside_!" Emma and Sari exclaimed in unison.

"Uh...oops...?" Bumblebee blinked, as Prowl got to his feet, growling slightly as the Space Barnacles mutated more of him.

Bumblebee grabbed both the girls and ran, screaming all the way. Prowl followed, growling.

Bumblebee then encountered some old rail lines, and transformed in a way that he was still a robot, but that his wheels were connected to the tracks and allowed for faster mobility. Emma and Sari sat on his shoulders as they delved deeper into the mines.

_Just think above ground, just think above ground..._ Emma thought, touching her throbbing forehead lightly. _Aw man, it's been a tough night, and it's not even over yet!_ She glanced sideways at Sari. _And, what was with Sari's little taunt back there?_

However, like all good things, the tracks soon ended, and Bumblebee was forced to slide to an emergency stop.

Of course, they then heard a low growl from behind them.

"How did he catch up with us so fast?!" Emma gasped.

Bumblebee pushed a nearby mine-cart back. It hit Prowl, and allowed them to escape through a side tunnel.

"I...really hope he doesn't remember that when he turns back to normal..." Bumblebee cringed, and then ran through the tunnels.

Emma; Sari and Bumblebee began looking for something to burn the Barnacles off of Prowl.

Bumblebee found a fire hose, but it wasn't actually a _fire_ hose...Sari saw where their chance might lie, though, and urged Bumblebee to drag the hose into a nearby room, which he did so, but not before he was scratched by Prowl.

Sari was preoccupied, however. "Oh no, Emma's still out there! I hope she's okay!"

She paused to listen.

"_You are SO grounded, Sari_!"

Sari cringed. She quickly grabbed the hose and dragged it to a nearby pump. She got straight to work. "If we hook up the hose to the hot water line, I can maybe boost its power with my key, and then it'll maybe heat the water enough to scorch those things off of Prowl!" She pushed some buttons, but the furnace refused to light. "Bumblebee! Hurry up and zap these things with your stingers!"

She then turned to him, noticing that he hadn't moved from the door.

He then turned around with a groan, and she realised that, he too, had been infected by the Space Barnacles!

Sari gasped, and blasted him with the hose. She mimicked: "Unplug yourselves. Commune with _nature_. Think of it as a _character_ builder!" She wrenched her key off from around her neck. "Thanks a _lot_, guys!" She discovered then that her key could bring an Autobot back to life, but it couldn't light a fire! She was affronted, and struck at it with her key, and then she noticed the sparks.

As Prowl kicked down the door, Sari ran to the furnace, and struck at the element with her key. It immediately fired up the furnace!

She turned around, as Prowl and Bumblebee advanced on her. Prowl had Emma firmly clasped in one hand.

Emma looked at Sari, and then at the hose in her hand. She swiftly kicked up with her right knee, and Prowl dropped her in surprise. Emma crawled away quickly, not wanting to be in the way for this next part.

Sari immediately turned the hose onto the two Barnacle infected Autobots, creating a whole lot of steam.

As the steam was clearing, Emma closed her eyes briefly, remembering how Prowl had _loomed_ over her, before grabbing her in his hand. _That was scary...I hope that the hot-water did the trick, just like the cold water in _Angel_..._

Prowl and Bumblebee were, indeed, back to normal, but they didn't understand why Emma and Sari were all wet.

Emma had her arms wrapped tightly around Sari, and the two girls looked at each other. They sighed, unsure of where to begin...

* * *

Sari told the story to Optimus back at the base the next day. She and Emma were sitting side-by-side on the couch, with blankets wrapped around them and a mug of hot chocolate for Sari, and one of hot mocha for Emma.

Optimus was very impressed by Sari's ingenuity, and by the bravery of both of the girls.

Emma shrugged. "Sari did all the work. I just...supervised." She sneezed.

"Bless You." Sari said automatically.

"Thanks." Emma replied, sighing, and rubbing her head.

Prowl noticed. "Emma...I...I didn't..._hurt_ you, when I was infected by those Space Barnacles...did I?" There was a hint of something in his voice that only Optimus really ever heard.

Emma glanced up at Prowl, and shook her head. "N-no Prowl, you didn't...you scared the Hell out of me, though - don't do that again..." She closed her eyes and leaned back, as Prowl and Bumblebee both began to argue with each other about technology over nature.

Sari brought up the fact that their team was made up of humans and robots...nature and technology...

"_Working together_!" Both Emma and Sari cried.

Bumblebee and Prowl looked at each other, and then looked away.

"In fact," Sari said suddenly. "I'm starting to think that robots and humans can _really_ learn to live together...maybe even..." She grinned slyly. "_Fall in lo-ove_..."

Emma and Prowl both gasped.

"Sari!" Emma's face was red. "I still haven't forgotten what you said back at the entrance to the mines, young lady!"

Sari grinned, and jumped up onto the back of the couch, the sugar in the hot chocolate giving her a bit of an extra boost. she said: "Oh-ho, you should have _seen_ the way Prowl just _lunged_ for Emma, like he couldn't wait to..."

"_Sari_!" Emma cried, making a grab for the little girl. Sari giggled, and danced out of the way. "Get back here, you!" She gave chase, and Sari ran, still laughing. "Just you wait, and by the way, you're _still_ grounded, you got that?!"

"Emma and Prowl, sitting in the tree!" Sari sang, and Bumblebee joined in. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"_Sari_!"

* * *

The rest of the year came and went by in a flash and, before anybody knew it, it was five minutes until midnight on December 31st.

Isaac invited the Autobots and Victoria over for a New Years celebration, and they all took turns toasting in the traditional New Years customs.

"To a year of moving forwards and advancing in the world we live in." Isaac said.

"To a year of hanging out with you guys and beating Bumblebee at video games!" Sari grinned.

"Hey!" Bumblebee protested. "Alright then, here's to a year of beating Sari at street-hockey, and becoming even _more_ of a star than what I already am!"

Victoria was laughing by this stage. "To a year of learning and teaching, and a year of righting past mistakes."

"Yes," Optimus agreed with the grey-eyed woman. "To a year of forgiving and forgetting, and perhaps of finally winning this war..."

"And, hopefully, to a year of _not_ getting injured every time we go out onto the battlefield." Ratchet said gruffly.

"To a year of, umm, learning to express ourselves in different ways," Bulkhead said awkwardly. "And, of staying together."

"I'll second that." Sari nodded, her red pigtails bouncing.

"To a year of appreciating the beauty that's around us," Prowl said quietly. "And, protecting what's important." he hadn't particularly _wanted_ to come to this party, but it wasn't so bad, after all...

Sari smiled, but wasn't about to say anything, for fears she'd be grounded again. Oh, it was so _obvious_ that Emma and Prowl _liked_ each other, so why couldn't they just admit it?!

Sari looked at Emma. "What about you, Emma?" She asked her.

Emma cleared her throat and, aware that all eyes were on her, muttered: "Umm, here's to a year of...spending time with my new friends, that have become like a family to me...and...to maybe grow up a little bit as well."

"Here, here!" Sari cheered, and raised her glass as Scuz-Bag perched on her head silently.

As they clinked their glasses together, fireworks boomed overhead, signaling the start of a new year.

_Yes, I wonder...just what this new year will bring...and, I hope my new family and my old family are...going to be okay..._ Emma thought, smiling, albeit a little bit sadly...

* * *

watch?v=h6QCE68Lojw - The scene with Charmer and Ranger...


	10. Everything Changes

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER TEN

Everything Changes

* * *

Megatron had been silently waiting in Isaac's lab, quietly biding his time until the moment when his body was found.

When it was, it was pulled out of a river, and looked terrible - Megatron couldn't _believe_ what had become of his once proud and glorious body!

It was becoming harder and harder for him to keep his temper, as well, and ended up yelling at Professor Sumdac. He corrected this mistake instantly, and hinted that any day now the Decepticons would probably attack earth.

He had managed to convince Isaac that he was an Autobot, and that he was ashamed of how he looked, therefore he did not want Isaac to _tell_ the (real) Autobots.

Isaac understood. This was a man's pride here.

Megatron could see that Isaac was understanding of all of this but, just then, a video link was put up between the lab room and the reception area.

Sari appeared, looking sheepish, as the robot receptionist crackled with electricity behind her. "Hi Dad!" Sari chirped. "I, umm...tried to use my key...to get the generator back up..." There was an explosion from somewhere nearby. "But...I think it made things worse..."

Emma suddenly appeared beside Sari, grabbing the key from the little girl. With her hands on her hips, and a pair of silver and white ice-skates hanging from around her neck, she exclaimed: "Sari, _what_ have we told you about - _oh no, it's got a flamethrower_!" She grabbed Sari and together the two girls ducked, as a wave of fire arced over their heads. When they straightened up, the receptionist was charred, and both girls looked stunned.

Isaac sighed. "I'll be right there." He walked towards the door of his lab, saying something about cutting the power to all non-essential areas of the tower.

Megatron was quietly furious at all this. "Will these infernal setbacks never end?" Then, he realised: "The child's key contains the power I need to make my triumphant return..."

But, how to obtain it? Also, there was a slight issue...Sari's Nanny had disappeared off the radar for a few weeks, and then Megatron learned that she'd been in some kind of an accident, due to an encounter with some Decepticons...

He wondered then if Lugnut was still online...

* * *

Emma and Sari were at the Autobot's base later that day.

"Why aren't you training today?" Sari wanted to know, as she and Bumblebee played with some remote-controlled airplanes.

"She and her...uh...friend, went away for a few days." Emma replied, from where she was watching them. "So, I'm stuck with you guys..." She followed them into the main room, where they learned that everybody was a little bit on edge, what with the impending Decepticon invasion immanent and all.

"Hey, maybe the Dino-Bots could help us?" Bulkhead suggested.

Emma and Prowl exchanged a look.

Bulkhead then realised that Prowl and Emma hadn't told Optimus yet. That, they had taken the Dino-Bots (that had destroyed half of the city) to the island in the middle of Lake Eyrie.

The cyber-ninja carefully explained the situation to Optimus.

Optimus was positively furious, although he agreed to let Prowl and Bulkhead go and ask the Dino-Bots for their help, on the condition that he went with them. He said that they couldn't afford any mistakes, not with no much at stake!

He then dropped the bombshell - they were taking Sari's key away from her!

To say that Sari was shocked would be an understatement.

"That's no fair! It's _mine_! The All-Spark chose me!" Sari protested.

"Sari, the reason we moved the All-Spark out of our base and back to our ship was to protect it and everybody else." Optimus said firmly. "For the same reason that we need to take back the key!"

"So? I've done a pretty good job of protecting it so far!" Sari sounded slightly desperate. She yanked the key out of the model airplane and hid the key behind her back.

Optimus looked at Ratchet, and then ordered the medic to take the key.

Ratchet, reluctantly, did so, using his electro-magnetic powers.

Sari started crying. "Why don't you trust me?!" She cried. "I trusted you! And you," she pointed at Emma. "You could have at least _said_ something!" She turned and ran from the base, still sobbing.

Emma remained silent.

Bumblebee had a go at Optimus, stating that Sari had done nothing but help them since they'd gotten here. The two of them traded stinging remarks about each others contribution to the team, and then Bumblebee stormed out to find Sari.

"Bumblebee, get back here!" Optimus ordered angrily.

After a moment's hesitation, Emma gritted her teeth, and then cried: "Hey, Bee, wait up!" She ran after him.

"Emma, get back here!" Optimus couldn't believe it. "We still don't know _why_ the Decepticons were after her...what did I do to deserve all of this?!"

Everybody present was wise enough not to answer him...

* * *

Emma was wandering around downtown after that, having been unable to find Bumblebee _or_ Sari, but knowing that a certain spider-bot had caught up to the latter.

"Today's the day a massive battle takes place..." Emma shivered, rubbing her arms. "The All-Spark's going to be shattered...what _else_ is going to happen?" She looked up suddenly, as Blitzwing landed in front of her. "I just _had_ to ask..." She whispered.

Random-Blitzwing looked down at her, and cackled: "Now that I see you this close up, I _do_ recognize you!" As Emma stared at him in shock, he switched to Hotheaded-Blitzwing. "What are you doing in that cursed organic mode?!" He switched to Icy-Blitzwing. "Come with us quietly - you know that we are not going to hurt you."

* * *

Emma clung to Blitzwing's hand, holding the key to close to her chest and comforted by its presence. Although, knowing what their destination was, she was a little bit worried. Oh, and the fact that she was flying with a potentially psychotic alien robot...yeah, that too...

Blitzwing landed, and Lugnut transformed before landing, flying in through the hole that had been blasted into the wall of Sumdac Tower.

Megatron turned out to be looking a little bit worse for wear but, nonetheless, Lugnut bowed deeply, and claimed that he was no worthy.

"What happened to your body?" Lugnut added.

"Long story." Megatron replied. He had a deep voice, one that sent chills down Emma's spine as she clung to Blitzwing's hand.

"I swore that I would not fail you, oh great one!" Lugnut said. "Victory is at hand! Now is the time to crush the Autobots into oblivion!"

"No!" Emma gasped, struggling against Blitzwing but to no avail.

"What are you _talking_ about?!" Isaac hurried up to them, looking shocked to see his daughter's Nanny in the hand of an unfamiliar alien robot.

Lugnut forced Isaac to bow by pressing down on his back. "On your knees, human scum! And, bow before the great and glorious Megatron! Supreme leader, of all Decepticons!"

Isaac quickly realised his mistake, and bowed his head, fear finally kicking in. "What...have I done?"

Emma _hated_ seeing her employer like this. "Isaac, it's not your fault!" She called, her melodic voice ringing out through the room. "They don't call these guys 'Decepticons' for nothing!"

Megatron seemed to notice Emma for the first time. "Ah, yes, and then there is this...I have been...watching you, for quite some time. It seems that I am not the only one that has...changed my appearance..."

Emma gulped, and looked at his red optics. They were like fire. It was _terrifying_. "Wh-what are you _talking_ about? Why am I here?"

"Hmm...most intriguing..." Icy-Blitzwing said thoughtfully, using his other hand to tap the Autobot symbol around Emma's neck. "It would appear that she does not remember us..."

Megatron stared hard at the golden-eyed girl in Blitzwing's hand, and realised at once that the Triple-Changer spoke the truth. "Doesn't remember us? This is...a minor setback, but one that can be overcome. For now, I wish to have _my_ rightful body back. Blitzwing, bring Angel to me..."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Icy-Blitzwing responded, carrying Emma over to where Megatron was.

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Emma held up her hands, one of which had the key within it. "What are you talking about? What's this..._Angel_?"

"That's you." Icy-Blitzwing told her. Random-Blitzwing added: "And, we've really missed you!"

Emma just stared at him, before shaking her head vehemently. "No, you've got it all wrong! I'm _not_ this Angel, whomever she is, because _my_ name is Emma! Em-ma! You got it?!" She sounded _a lot_ more brave than she felt!

Blitzwing and Lugnut exchanged a glance.

"Blitzwing!" Megatron's deep, commanding voice resounded. "Do what you have to do!"

Blitzwing nodded, and grabbed the hand in which Emma held the All-Spark key. He brought it over to Megatron and, despite Emma's best attempts to prevent it, the key was pushed into the slot on the Decepticon leader's head and, at once, a bright blue light filled the room.

Emma was suddenly wrenched from Blitzwing's hand, and was suspended in mid-air as Megatron's body was reformed.

Something very painful was happening in Emma's mind right then, and she closed her eyes, wishing for the images to stop...

* * *

_A beautiful castle, coloured red and blue like blocks of technology..._

_A huge winged-creature, one with burning red eyes and fangs as sharp as razors..._

_A pair of kind, blue optics, and a hand that wiped the tears away so many times..._

_A figure shrouded in darkness, one that both annoyed her and made her body feel all tingly and warm..._

_A solar storm, streaking across the pinkish-red sky, as she sat on a rooftop over-looking a huge city..._

_A pair of kinder, red optics, that held nothing but devotion to her..._

_A cool, deep voice, that she likened to immediately..._

_A pair of claws grabbing her, and a pair of those razor-sharp fangs at her neck...a deep, polite voice...the feeling within her body as she knew what she had to do...the feeling of her heart...no, of her_ spark_...pounding madly as it raced towards its last beat..._

_That feeling...no...no..._

* * *

The entire Sumdac Tower was glowing red, as Optimus; Prowl and Bulkhead stood there staring at it. Bumblebee and Starscream were watching, too.

"_NOOOOOO_!" A female voice suddenly screamed, a long and anguished cry of inner pain, but one that was beautiful nonetheless.

Prowl gasped. He knew that scream! "Emma!" He cried, just as a figure burst through the roof the Sumdac Tower.

Everybody was shocked at what they saw next, but none more so than Optimus, as they realised that the figure was Megatron, with a new body and a cold, evil smile on his face.

Megatron floated down to where they were standing, and everybody was stunned. How was this possible? Megatron online...? No!

Bulkhead was the first to attack Megatron, but was quickly dispatched by a slice from Megatron's cyber-sword.

As Optimus helped some human children that were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Megatron quickly rendered Prowl immobile, and stomped down on his chest-plate, preparing to strike at the cyber-ninja with his sword.

Optimus suddenly sent his axe flying, which not only knocked away Megatron's sword, allowed Optimus to attack him, but Megatron was too powerful.

Optimus wasn't giving up, though!

* * *

From atop Sumdac Tower, Blitzwing and Lugnut watched. Lugnut warned Blitzwing _not_ to interfere, and then they had a new mission objective - stop Isaac Sumdac from escaping!

Meanwhile, Starscream was having a dilemma. Help the Autobots take down Megatron, or wait for a better opportunity?

Or...

Emma had regained consciousness, and crawled to the hold in the wall of the Sumdac Tower. She gripped the side of the wall, and looked down, her hazel eyes wide with disbelief.

Starscream stared at her, and she finally looked at him. Hazel eyes met red optics.

_Angel..._ Starscream thought, tossing Bumblebee aside like a rag doll. _At last...I can finally see you again..._

Just then, Megatron called the Decepticons to his side, and they complied. Blitzwing brought Emma with him, much to her disbelief.

Megatron, however, wreaked his revenge on Starscream for betraying him all those years ago, and then ordered the Decepticons to follow the All-Spark's energy signal. With Emma in the cockpit of Megatron's alt mode (a battle helicopter) the Decepticons (minus Starscream) set out for lake Eyrie.

* * *

Isaac had to tell the Autobots that he was responsible for all of this. They were all upset with him, but none more so than Prowl.

"And you _believed_ him?" The cyber-ninja exclaimed. "Now he's gone and taken Emma, as well!" He placed his head in her hand. He still couldn't get the sound of Emma's scream out of his mind. "There's no _telling_ what they could do to her...if _anything_ happens to her..." He clenched his fists. "I'll _never_ forgive myself..."

* * *

"So," Megatron said suddenly, startling Emma. "Angel..."

"_Why_ in Primus' name do you keep _calling_ me that?!" Emma wanted to know, not sure why she was smart-mouthing him in this current situation. Or, why she wasn't stuttering or having her throat constrict the way it _usually_ did when she met up with strangers. "What makes you think I'm this _Angel_, anyways? She was obviously a Transformers, and _I am a human_!"

"I can see that." Megatron said flatly. "Your physical appearance may have changed quite a fair amount, but..._I still recognize you, even if you don't recognize yourself_..."

"Look, I'll tell you, I don't even know _how_ I ended up here, I was born in a different world!" Emma told him, clenching her fists. "The All-Spark brought me here, that's all I know!"

"Yes, I'm quite aware of the unique bond you have to the All-Spark." Megatron told her. "Which is, of course, partially the reason we are heading to its location now..."

Emma didn't say anything for a moment, and then she asked: "Okay, so let's just say...I _am_ this..._Angel_...if that's true, then was I an Autobot? Or, was I...one of...you guys?" She gulped. Her heart began to beat wildly. "Was I a Decepticon?!"

She watched as they fired at the Autobots' ship, which was now flying, with most of those that she cared about and loved inside of it.

"Wait, what if the All-Spark's damaged as well?!" Emma asked Megatron, gripping the dashboard.

"You of all beings should know that it would take a lot more than this to destroy the All-Spark." Megatron replied.

"Okay, what about my friends?!" Emma cried, as the ship crash landed into Dino-Bot Island. "I know _you_ don't care about them, but..."

"I have every right to wish nothing but their utter demise!" Megatron informed her. "They are the ones that did this to me, everything I have encountered over the stellar-cycles was all their doing!"

"Because they want to stop you from taking over Cybertron?" Emma exclaimed. "Because you've led multiple armies against them?! _Would you stop firing at them already_!" She could scarcely stand to watch what was happening. She watched as Bulkhead leapt at Lugnut, and took him down. There was a huge explosion.

Ratchet and Bumblebee disrupted Blitzwing's electro-magnetic system, which meant...

"_I'm falling_!" Random-Blitzwing screamed, as he went down.

Megatron made a move to get to the ship, but Optimus wrapped the metal rope around Megatron, and moved in for the kill.

Megatron, however, shot Optimus down.

He said: "You, Autobot, are merely a distraction, as are your pathetic friends!" He then projected a solid holoform within his cockpit.

Emma stared up at the older man. He had black hair and black facial hair, and those same burning red eyes. He wore black and grey, and carried about him a much more frightening aura than his robot form did (in Emma's opinion).

Megatron's holoform grabbed her, and jumped with her onto the ship, disappearing as his vehicle form transformed.

Sari gasped, as Emma landed beside her, and then Optimus and Megatron crashed into the ship, near to where the All-Spark was.

"Our struggle ends where it began, Autobot!" Megatron said fiercely. "Aboard this ship! Only, this time, what is rightfully mine _shall_ be mine!" He kicked Optimus away from him, and advanced on the All-Spark, and the two girls guarding it.

"Sari, get back..." Emma pushed Sari aside, not looking away from Megatron. _This is bad...why do I feel like I should _do_ something around about now? What's this weird feeling inside of me...like the time I prayed to the All-Spark to help Scuz-Bag..._

Megatron grabbed Emma, and held her up close to the orange box, which opened up to reveal the pulsating blue orb that was...

"The All-Spark..." Emma breathed, her eyes wide as the steady glow got stronger and brighter. "But how...why...?" Her mind was hurting again, throwing images at her that didn't make sense. "Aurgh! No! None of this makes sense!" She cried, as Megatron grabbed the All-Spark, and held both of them in his servos.

"It will all make perfect sense!" Megatron assured her. "Cybertron and the Autobots will suffer for _everything_ they have done!" He held Emma and the All-Spark closer to his chest-plate, which opened to reveal his spark.

"What? No!" Emma cried, realising that, if Megatron got what he wanted, then the entire _universe_ was _doomed_! "Optimus!"

"Emma!" Optimus shouted, from somewhere to her right. He was suddenly there, and grabbed her in his hand, wrenching her away from Megatron. "Megatron, if you want power, then _have your fill_!" And, he punched Megatron straight in the chest-plate, hitting the All-Spark as well.

Everybody watched in horror as the All-Spark shattered, and consumed Megatron with its fiery blue wrath. Sari opened a hatch, and Optimus pushed Megatron outside, where the All-Spark's energy exploded, sending a massive blue energy beam into the sky.

Everybody watched in complete disbelief. Did Optimus...destroy...the All-Spark?

* * *

"Emma!"

Emma turned at the sound of her name being called, to see Prowl (in his holoform) running towards her. She was about to respond to him, when he grabbed her tightly in his arms, pressing her up against his chest, much to her disbelief.

"P-Prowl!" Emma stammered, looking up at him.

"Don't you _ever_, _EVER_ put me through anything like that again, understood?" Prowl said fiercely, his grip tightening around her shoulders. "If _anything_ were to happen to you, then I would..."

"Yes?" Emma asked, breathing in deeply.

Prowl looked at her for a moment, as the sun set behind them.

"Well...I would..."

Emma blinked. Prowl was _much_ too close, by this stage...was he going to...?

Sari suddenly popped up out of nowhere. "Come on, Prowl, I need to heal you - get back into robot-mode!" She dragged him off, winking at Emma over her shoulder as she did so.

Emma bit her lip and stared after them, before turning back around and, as she did, she saw something in the snow glittering. Jumping down and into a small ditch, Emma gasped, as a beautiful blue fragment, like glass, appeared to be sticking out of the snow.

"An All-Spark Fragment!" Emma realised, reaching down to pick it up. She was just about to call out to somebody but, as soon as her hand closed around the piece of the energy, it disappeared, being absorbed into her hand in a slow, warm movement. Emma gasped, as her entire hand turned blue, and then it was over, and the Fragment was nowhere to be seen.

Emma closed her eyes, and saw an image of Megatron in her mind. _"Angel...I truly am sorry...I will make sure that...they all pay, for what you've been through..."_

Emma opened her eyes, unaccustomed tears forming in them. Something had just happened, and something was just beginning, but what exactly those things _were_...Emma, or _whomever_ she was...had no idea...


	11. EliteAh?

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Elite...Ah?

* * *

_Some time ago..._

_The crying could be heard everywhere - it was the crying of a newborn. For some, it would have been annoying, but not in this case._

_For this, it turned out, was the crying of a very _special_ newborn. It seemed to have a shimmering, melodic ring to it so, even though the newborn was hungry, those that heard the cries could not help but smile, as the Mother went to attend to her newborn's needs._

_Loving, violet-optics appeared in the newborn's blurry vision, and the young one stopped crying almost instantly. A feeling of complete calm had just made itself apparent, and there was no doubt about it that the Mother loved her child very much. The bond between their sparks was obvious, as the Mother picked up her newborn and cradled her close._

_The Mother began to sing a song, one that had been passed down through their family for generations, as she fed her newborn a mixture specially formulated for newborns of this species._

_Two figures watched from the doorway of the room._

_"You should be very proud of yourself, Leontide." One figure said. There was a warm look in his own, sky-blue optics that showed that he as well felt a connection with the newborn. It was _impossible_ not to. "She will grow to be a fine young femme."_

_"We know." Leontide smiled, his bright green optics never once leaving his wife and their baby. "We have many reasons to be proud of her - the chosen one has _finally_ been born amongst us, after so many stellar cycles of waiting...of _hoping_..."_

_The mech with the blue optics understood. "Do you wish for me to inform those awaiting this news back on Cybertron?" He wanted to know._

_Leontide shook his head. "Let it wait a few solar cycles, until she has met her sisters, and until we can determine a suitable designation for her." The smile on his face showed that he could not wait for the naming of his newest daughter._

_The mech with the blue optics - one of the Cybertronian representatives - glanced at the newborn whom, at that moment, chose to giggle; a beautiful sound that seemed only fitting for beautiful little sparkling. His wise blue optics glowed with warmth. This femme _was_ special, there was no doubt about that. "Name her as you wish but I, at any rate, shall know her as...an Angel..."_

* * *

Present Day...

It was the best of times and, yet, it was the very _worst_ of times, as well...

There was so many things wrong right now, that Emma wasn't even sure _where_ she should begin thinking. For one, Isaac Sumdac was now missing, and this had sent Sari into a spin. She had to get out of it quickly, however, since somebody was needed to run her Father's company and, by some cruel twist of destiny, the little eight-year-old girl was _it_. It was wrong, on _so_ many different levels.

Emma had thought for a moment, as she watched Sari standing helplessly in her Dad's office, before deciding on something important.

"Sari," Emma said, taking off the necklace that she always wore under her clothes - the yellow crystal. "This is something that _my_ Dad gave to me; it's crystal that's supposed to keep you calm, and protect you." She handed it to the little girl. Sari stared up at her with wide eyes. "Now, Dad told me to always wear it so that it was touching my skin, and to never take it off, but I'm going to let _you_ hang onto it for a little while..." As she spoke these words, she remembered the day that they had argued. She had just been locked out of her room, for not being proactive about getting a job. She had yelled at her Dad and, because he had been so stressed out at that stage, he had grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her against a wall, yelling at her. It had been _then_ that she'd finally shown some proper emotions about the whole thing, and started to cry. Later, they had reconciled, and he'd given her the necklace, which had actually been a gift to him years ago from his _other_ daughter. He'd given it to Emma but, somehow, she knew that it would be alright to lend it to Sari for a little while. The eight-year-old girl needed it a lot more than the twenty-two-year-old girl, at the moment...

Sari and Emma were silent after this, both of them thinking about their Fathers. Sari put the necklace on, slipping in under the fabric of her dress, and feeling its slightly warm, comforting presence on the skin between her collar bone.

Emma then broke the silence, by saying: "Umm, so...anyways, why don't you ask Bumblebee to help you with...all this...?" She gestured around to Isaac's office.

Sari nodded. "Good idea...umm, what are _you_ going to do?"

Emma sighed. "Primus, where do I even _begin_...?" She replied, and left the office.

One reason she didn't mind lending her necklace to Sari, was because she had managed to acquire a _new_ one, during the fight. She wasn't sure _when_ Megatron had managed to achieve it (probably when his holoform had grabbed her and jumped into the ship) but now, beneath her Autobot pendant, was a shining silver Decepticon one, that resembled the pendants she'd seen on all four Decepticon's holoforms. She didn't want to take it off, and just hoped that none of the Autobots would see it. If they did, then she could always lie and say that she hadn't noticed it before...

Emma had a _lot_ more thinking to do...

* * *

Emma ended up calling Victoria - she and Sai had gotten back from their trip that morning, and Victoria was stunned to hear what had happened during their absence. Sai picked Emma up from around the corner in no time at all, and soon the three of them were sitting in the garden at Victoria's mansion, drinking green tea, on that surprisingly warm January day (after training, that is)...

Emma recounted what had happened, although she left out certain bits, and both Victoria and Sai could tell.

"Emma," Victoria said gently, as Scuz-Bag scurried around in the tall grass nearby. "Did anything _else_ happen, when you were in the hands of Megatron?" For somebody not terribly involved with the war, Victoria already seemed to have a firm grasp on certain things.

Emma sighed. "Like what?" She asked, setting down her tea cup, and then looking around. "Umm...where's Scuz?" She stood up. "Scuz?" She called, going to search for him where she'd last seen him, and Victoria and Sai exchanged a glance. "Scuz?" They heard Emma call, and then they heard her gasp. "A-An All-Spark Fragment?!"

Victoria and Sai were on their feet immediately, and hurrying over to where Emma was staring at the piece of shimmering blue glass, that Scuz had just uncovered.

"Is that...a piece of...the All-Spark?" Victoria asked slowly, and Emma nodded.

Sai motioned to the Fragment, and then glanced at Emma.

Emma shook her head. "N-no, that's okay, somebody else can get it..."

Victoria gave her a Look. "Is there a problem?" She asked, evenly.

Emma sighed. "When I picked up the other Fragment, I...kind of..._absorbed_ it..." She muttered.

Victoria and Sai exchanged another look.

"Do the...Autobots..._know_ about all of this?" Victoria asked gently.

Emma shook her head, again. "N-no...I'm not sure what to tell them...plus, I still think that the Elite Guard could show up any day now..." She didn't notice the way Sai tensed at these words. "In fact..." Emma looked up, just as something that clearly resembled a meteorite from outer-space streaked across the sky overhead. "Holy Primus!" Emma cried, grabbing Scuz. "I need to be where that thing lands!" She exclaimed, and looked at Sai. "C-could you please give me a ride, Sai?"

Sai glanced pointedly at the All-Spark Fragment.

Emma sighed in frustration. "Oh, al_right_ already!" She leaned down and picked it up. The Fragment was immediately absorbed into her hand, and a flash went through her mind - an image of a big, silver robot with wheels for feet. "There, are you happy? I saw an image of a robot called wearing roller-skates." She hurried towards the table to get her phone, completely missing the startled glance that Victoria and Sai exchanged. "Hurry!"

* * *

It was, of course, the Elite Guard. They emerged from their ship, looking as impressive and intimidating as their name suggested. There were three of them - the leader, Ultra Magnus; the jerk, Sentinel Prime; and the cool cyber-ninja, Jazz.

Optimus and his team came forwards then, and saluted, but it was apparent that Ultra Magnus was no interested in hearing them speak. They had a job to do, and that was all.

Ultra Magnus ordered Jazz to set up a force-field around the perimeter, to protect them from any organic contamination.

Jazz glanced at him, and then out at the crowd of gathering humans.

Sari ran to the front of the crowd, followed closely by Emma, whom had gotten there in record time thanks to Sai's driving abilities. Emma glanced up, and met Jazz's gaze. She blushed, cringed, and looked away just as swiftly. Sari just seemed in awe.

"You sure that's necessary, Commander?" Jazz asked. "I'd like to get a closer look..." He admitted. _I didn't think these organics would be so...interesting..._

Sentinel told Jazz that would be a bad idea, since organics spew up metal-melting acid. He himself set up the force-field, much to Sari's chagrin.

They then took Optimus and his crew inside to decontaminate them, much to _their_ chagrin.

And, then, they were forced to tell the Elite Guard that the All-Spark was...no longer in its full state, much to _everybody's_ chagrin.

There was an uncomfortable moment aboard the ship, and then Ultra Magnus ordered Optimus Prime to show them where the supposed Decepticon battle had taken place.

In other words, he didn't really believe him, but was giving him the benefit of the doubt, for now...

Optimus assured the humans outside that everything was fine, that the newcomers were on their side, and then he; Sentinel and Ultra Magnus left, the latter two coming complete with new vehicle modes that blended in about as well as an emu in a chicken factory.

It was about five minutes later, when Sari received a phone-call. "Hello?"

It was, much to her chagrin (there was a fair amount of that going around today) Porter C. Powell, the chairman of her Father's company, and he had some bad news. One of the robot assembly lines was going haywire, and needed attending to right away!

Sari was forced to say she'd do it herself, since she'd just recently told Powell that the company's name was _Sumdac_, and then she hung up on him.

Glancing at her key, and then at the forcefield, Sari got an idea. She used her key to carve a neat little door for herself in the forcefield, and stepped through it, hurrying towards the ship that had, conveniently, left its hatch down!

Emma gasped. "Sari, hang on a minute!" She called, one hand at her throat. She looked around. "Well, now what?" She glanced at Fanzone, and he shrugged. Emma walked up to the forcefield, and put her hand on it. It immediately had the same effect as Sari's key! Emma gasped. "_Cool_!" She whispered, and copied Sari's door-carving actions, stepping through and following after the girl.

She caught up with her, just as the little girl triggered the alarm systems.

"Sari, what if they'd had an automated laser defense system?!" Emma exclaimed.

"Duh. Then we'd _both_ be toast." Sari shrugged, just as the white cyber-ninja known as Jazz came running up to them.

"Contamination located!" He said, looking only at Sari.

"Who are you calling a contamination?!" Sari's hands flew to her hips in indignation.

"Uh, it's not a smart idea to mouth off to somebody that's bigger than you, kiddo." Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Now, just roll back off the ship, nice and easy...and don't even _think_ of spewing any of your _slime_ at me!" Jazz warned Sari.

_What am I, invisible?_ Emma thought.

"Slime?" Sari repeated. "What are you..._ohhhh_, I get it, you're afraid of me!" She grinned. "OOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!" She waved her hands about wildly.

"Augh!" Jazz leapt back.

Sari giggled. "Gotcha!" She declared.

That was when Bulkhead; Ratchet; Prowl and Bumblebee came running up.

"What's going on out here?!" Ratchet demanded to know.

Sari gasped happily. "Guys!" She cried, running to them and hugging Bumblebee around the leg.

"Stay back!" Jazz exclaimed. "You don't wanna be slimed!"

"Relax," Bulkhead said calmly. "That's just Sari. She's perfectly safe."

"But, Sentinel...?"

"Is a glitch-head." Bumblebee waved his hand. "all due respect."

"Uh, hello? I'm here too, you know!" Emma called.

The others seemed to notice her for the first time. "Oh, Emma, when did you get here?" Sari asked her.

"I've been here for two minutes!" Emma responded.

"What are you _wearing_?" Bumblebee eyed the young woman's white robes.

"My _wudang_ uniform - I've just come from martial arts with Victoria." Emma replied.

"Crazy..." Jazz stooped down to get a better look at Emma. "These organics each have their own look, their own _style_..."

Emma blushed again. "Okay, this guy's _cool_..." She muttered, shifting awkwardly.

Sari turned back to Bumblebee. "I need your help! Something's wrong at one of my Dad's assembly plants! Come on!" She tugged at him.

"No can do." Jazz said, straightening up again. "I got orders from Ultra Magnus to stick with you."

"Yeah, but...he didn't say _where_." Leave it to Bumblebee to find the loop-hole.

Jazz considered this. "Well...I _have_ been itching to give my new wheels a spin..." He transformed suddenly, into a cool white sports car."Besides, any species that can come up with a sweet ride like _this_ can't be _all_ bad!"

"Cool!" Sari was impressed.

So was Emma, too, but she didn't say anything, until Jazz opened the door for her. "Want a ride?" He asked her, surprising her (and the others) at how quickly he'd gotten over his apprehension at organics.

"S-sure!" She exclaimed, blinking a few times but smiling regardless and climbing in. "I guess I can explain a-all the r-road rules to you..."

She completely missed the look that crossed Prowl's face at that point.

"By the way, sista, what's that spiky thing sitting on your head?" Jazz wanted to know.

"This is Scuz-Bag, my p-pet echidna." Emma told him.

"Echidna...solid." Jazz replied.

* * *

The Decepticons, meanwhile, had constructed a base for themselves deep within the Sumdac mines, the very same mines where Emma and Sari had been forced to fend off the Barnacle infected Prowl and Bumblebee.

They were beaten, but not defeated, and had a brand new plan...oh, and they'd kidnapped Professor Sumdac, to help them carry _out_ their new plan, too...

The carbon deposits were shielding them from the Autobot scanners, rendering them almost...invisible...

Megatron had managed to swipe some schematics for a Space Bridge from the Autobot's ship. Professor Sumdac would now be forced to help them reverse engineer it, and then, they could Transwarp to Cybertron and attack the planet...from _within_...

Icy-Blitzwing said: "Yes...and then...they will suffer, the same as..." He trailed off, lost in memories for a moment, before Hotheaded-Blitzwing took over. "We will crush them for all they have done!" Random-Blitzwing joined in with: "Ooh-hoo-hoo, I cannot wait!"

"Yes," Megatron agreed. "However, there are a number of things stopping us from achieving our goal. And, one of the most important things that we must do...we must find a way to restore Angel to her true herself, _whatever_ it takes. Understood?" He asked Blitzwing and Lugnut, and they both saluted.

_Angel?_ Thought Professor Sumdac. I heard them say that name the other day...he gasped silently. _Could they be...are they talking about...Emma?_

* * *

When Sari and the others arrived at the Sumdac's assembly line, Sari's key immediately began acting up and then, to make matters worse, the police bots began to attack them!

"I changed my mind!" Sari cried, as Bumblebee shielded her from the police bots' lasers. "I don't wanna run my Dad's company anymore! Eyaurgh!"

As Bumblebee got Sari to safety behind some crates, Prowl shielded Emma from some more of the fire. Scuz-Bag cling to her head, clearly terrified but not enough to curl up.

"Is it always like this on this crazy planet?!" Jazz called to them.

"Pretty much." Prowl responded, assessing the situation carefully.

As Ratchet radioed Optimus for backup, and the assessment was that the drones were rolling off the assembly line faster than any of them could take them down, Prowl used one of his ninja moves to protect Bulkhead from a sneak attack from behind!

Jazz was impressed. "Wow - the classic Metalliko Five Servos Of Doom attack! But, have you seen _this_ one?" He acquired some nunchakus, and used them to take down a good number of the police bots.

"Impressive." Prowl complimented him.

"I guess you never got that far in your cyber-ninja training." Jazz replied. He took out a few more of the drones nearby.

Prowl seemed about to comment, when he was snuck up on from behind by one of the drones, and shot down. As he got up unsteadily, the drone took aim at him.

Prowl couldn't move but, just then, Emma appeared from seemingly nowhere, and took down the drone with her classic punch-kick combo. It _shouldn't_ have been enough to destroy the drone...but, Prowl suddenly noticed a faint blue glow coming from her right hand. He didn't have time to comment on it, however, as another drone moved in to attack her. She gasped, but just then Optimus' axe came flying out of nowhere, and took out the drone.

"Mind if I cut in?" Optimus asked wryly, and then went to help Prowl up.

"Optimus Prime, behind you!" Ultra Magnus warned, as more drones moved in for the kill. He simply rolled over the drones, destroying them.

As Optimus thanked him, he and Sentinel transformed, and assessed the situation.

As Sari ran towards them, to escape the drones, Sentinel set up a force-shield using his shield, and told Ultra Magnus that they were risking organic contamination.

Optimus then decided that they needed to shut down the assembly line, and Sari said that she'd do it, with her key - as long as the company's name was Sumdac, then this was _her_ responsibility!

Optimus agreed, and said that he and Prowl would sneak Sari into the factory. Emma was clinging to Prowl's shoulder by that stage, and as he transformed, she found herself astride the motorcycle. Sari climbed into Optimus' alt mode, and they headed into the factory.

Jazz decided to come along with them, curious to see what would happen next, and also curious about these organic femmes that wore Autobot medallions around their necks...

* * *

Sari rode on Optimus' shoulder once they entered the factory, and Emma was with Prowl, and they encountered more drones, which were quickly taken care of by Jazz and Prowl.

Sari then quickly used her key, which effectively shut off the power to the assembly line, and prompted Sari to explain that was why the company's name was Sumdac!

Emma sighed. "Crisis averted." She said, jumping down from Prowl's shoulder.

"N-not quite!" Sari said, struggling with her key. "It's stuck!"

Emma grabbed Sari around the waist, and tried to help her pull, as Sentinel showed up and began having a go at Optimus.

Optimus then decided that now was a good time to stand up for himself, and did so, before using his axe to cut the power machine apart, freeing Sari's key. Sari and Emma went flying backwards, landing on the ground.

"A little _warning_, next time!" Sari complained.

Optimus and Sentinel, however, were both staring at the piece of glowing blue glass that had just landed next to Sari and Emma.

Optimus picked it up, and Prowl noticed that Emma's hand was glowing again, although she hid it behind her back, as Optimus claimed that this Fragment was _proof_ that the All-Spark _hadn't_ been destroyed...

Sari, however, had _bigger_ worries...

* * *

Emma; Sari and Bumblebee returned to the Sumdac Tower late that afternoon, all of them unusually quiet.

Sari discovered that the door to her office wouldn't open.

Powell then appeared via a video link on the room's computer access window, and said that her services were no longer required. When Sari began to argue, Powell told her that he had checked for birth records or adoption certificates for Sari Sumdac...and there _were_ none.

Coupled with the fact that there was no mention of an Emma Paradiso, either, and neither of the girls could even prove that they _existed_...

* * *

The next day, Emma and Sari were forced to pack up their belongings and shift out, since Powell had already rented Sari's room out to somebody.

Neither of the two girls were very impressed, even if the Autobots _had_ given them a place to stay. Emma knew that if _she_ was feeling upset, then it was _nothing_ compared to how her charge must be feeling...

Emma dragged her suitcase on wheels down the hallway, and left it by the elevator as she went into Sari's room, to find the little girl trying desperately to close her suitcase.

"Here." Emma said soothingly, going over to help her.

"This isn't fair!" Sari burst out, throwing her hands up in the air. "First my Dad goes missing, and now I'm kicked out of my own home?! Why me?!" She sounded miserable.

"Sari, I know it's tough, but I promise you, that you and I _will_ stay together." Emma said firmly, picking up Sari's suitcase for her. "Nobody can change _that_."

"Oh, I'm sure the _chairman of the board_ would find a way, if he could!" Sari marched towards her door, not looking to where she was going. "What does that even _mean_?! They should just call him 'big jerk that thinks he's in charge of _everything_'!" She bumped into the man in question.

"Oh, I don't _think_ I'm in charge, young lady, I _know_ it." Porter C. Powell told her, smirking. "Now, hurry along - I need this space for more research and development, in order to earn back what _you_ lost the company when you were _playing_ at president!"

Sari flushed angrily, glaring up at Powell. "Listen here, just because there's no record that I'm Isaac Sumdac's daughter, doesn't mean I'm not! He's _my_ dad, and i don't care _what_ you say!"

Emma came to stand beside Sari. She placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder and _glared_ at Powell. "You should be _ashamed_ of yourself, you know that? She's just a little girl!" She said angrily, but her words were wasted on Powell.

"I don't negotiate with people that don't exist." Powell replied. "Oh, and by the way, your robotic-dog and Tutor-Bot? They belong to this company - _leave_ them." He told Sari, and she looked upset.

Emma guided Sari towards the door. "Come on, sweetie. That glitch-head's not even _worth_ our time." They walked towards the elevator, which suddenly opened to reveal a pale, dark-haired young man.

"You!" Sari gasped.

"_That's_ right, lamer!" Henry Masterson exclaimed, leering down at her.

"Sari, who the Hell _is_ this guy?" Emma whispered, even though she already knew. She just wanted to hear Sari's opinion of the guy.

"That's Henry Masterson, one of my Dad's _former_ employees who tried to take over the city and attacked Bulkhead." Sari whispered back, glaring up at Henry.

Emma glared at him, too, as Henry went in to check out his new 'crib'.

Emma and Sari, along with their suitcases and Scuz-Bag, watched as the doors closed, and then they both sighed.

* * *

Bumblebee came to pick up Sari, but somebody was with him. Jazz arrived on the scene, and he wanted to know if Emma would be so kind as to...show him around Detroit?

Emma and Sari exchanged a glance.

Sari chanced a small smile. "Go," she said quietly. "It's okay?"

"Are you sure?" Emma asked her, and Sari nodded. Emma hugged her. "You're a brave girl, Sari." She handed to echidna to her. "I'll see you tonight."

Emma got into Jazz's alt mode, and he drove off.

Sari and Bumblebee watched them go, Bumblebee feeling confused and Sari feeling like her world was ending, but also wondering what was going on with her Nanny...

* * *

"So, you're from another earth?" Jazz said, as Emma finished telling him the story of how she'd arrived on this planet.

Emma nodded. "Y-yes. I d-don't know how I got here, but I'm glad," she smiled shyly. "S-so far, this has been the best thing that's happened to me...meeting the Au-Autobots, that is..." She touched the Autobot pendant around her neck.

Jazz seemed to understand this, and then he asked her: "Hey, what's that place over there?"

She looked. "Oh, th-that's the Detroit Z-Zoo...come to think of it, I h-haven't visited th-the guys, in awhile..." She was thinking about Duncan and Ruby.

Jazz stopped on the side of the road, and Emma got out. She turned around to say something to the robot, only to find herself staring into the blue _eyes_ of a young man.

Emma stared at him, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks again. Jazz's holoform was tall (weren't they all?), and looked African-American. He had long dark hair in braids and a goatee, and was dressed in a white short-sleeved t-shirt with red and blue lines on it over a black long-sleeved shirt; white jeans; black and white sneakers; a white hat that resembled his helmet; black headphones and cool, clear blue glasses that looked like his visor. He looked..._awesome_...

Emma suddenly had to stop and wonder why, out of everybody else, she had been chosen to show Jazz around Detroit. A thought entered her mind just then. "Hey, Jazz, does Ultra Magnus know wh-where you are right now?" Her hand flew to her throat as her voice constricted. _He even looks...handsome!_ She thought wildly, her cheeks pink.

Jazz grinned at her. "Chill, sista - I told the big boss I was doing some recon. That's not a lie now, is it?" He winked at her.

She just about died. "N-no, I guess it's not..."

* * *

"Wh-when I overheard the phone-call, I just _knew_ I had to do something, you know?" Emma told Jazz, but she wasn't looking at him. She was smiling through the glass at Duncan and Ruby, the two dingo pups that had gotten a _lot_ bigger since the last time that she'd seen them. "I d-didn't know that Victoria was actually an undercover p-police agent, but it all turned out o-okay." She smiled, as Duncan trotted up to the glass, wagging his tail. Ruby was a bit shyer, and stayed back, but wagged her tail regardless.

Jazz was smiling, also. "Those cool dogs _do_ seem to recognize you - they probably know you saved them, dig?"

Emma blushed. "W-well, I dunno about that..." She put a hand up to the glass, and Duncan licked the glass where her hand was. She smiled. "I guess I'm just patriotic...being from the same country as them, and all..." She shrugged, and then saw somebody's reflection in the glass that she _really_ didn't want to see right now. Her smile faded. "Oh, for Primus' _sake_..." She muttered, turning around.

Charlie sauntered up to her, today wearing a pair of _very_ tight jeans and _very_ low-cut red top. Her blonde hair looked like it had just been permed, and her blue eyes were glittering with slight malice.

"Hello, Emma," Charlie said, with mock sweetness. "I didn't expect to see you out and about...I heard about what happened..."

Emma sighed. "Of course you did..." She muttered. "You know, I feel sorry for your Mum, having to work for that Powell guy."

Charlie shrugged. "As long as he pays my Mum better than what that fat Indian did, then I don't care. And, as for that little red-haired brat...she got what she deserved..."

Emma's clenched her fists. "Charlie, don't you _dare_ say anything bad about Sari and Isaac!" She exclaimed, her voice rising. "They're better people than you could _ever_ hope to be, and they _don't_ deserve this!" Her heart was hammering in her chest - how could people be so cruel?!

"From what I've heard, you and the brat don't even exist!" Charlie told her, her own fists clenched.

"Would you like me to _prove_ that I exist, glitch?!" Emma surprised herself by threatening Charlie.

Charlie's eyes glittered. "Bring it on, bitch." She taunted.

Jazz decided that it was time to step in. "Whoa, whoa, _chill_, ladies, please!" He got between them, and then began leading Emma away from Charlie. "We don't want no trouble, you hear?"

Charlie's eyes bored holes into Emma and Jazz as they left quickly, Emma calming down quickly and regretting her actions just as fast.

"I'm sorry, Jazz," Emma said, her heart hammering, as she walked a few feet away from him over a bridge, in a Japanese-styled part of the zoo. "I...I don't _usually_ lose my temper like that, but...well...we've got so many problems to c-contend with at the moment, and I'm so worried about Sari and Isaac and what's going to happen to the Autobots, and this _war_..." She gripped the railing of the bridge. _How am I supposed to tell him that there _are_ Decepticons on this planet? Would he even _believe_ me?_

Jazz stared at her for a moment, as a light breeze blew Emma's hair around her face. Today, she was wearing a long, silvery-grey top with gold words spelling out _I Love Detroit_ in fancy script, over a pair of black tights and black knee boots. She was frowning though, and seemed upset. Jazz, for the life of him not quite knowing _why_, didn't like to see her like that, and quickly did a swift internet scan for certain places in Detroit. He came up with one that looked promising, and grabbed Emma's hand.

"Come on, cool cat, I got a plan!" He said, dragging her out of the park, much to her surprise...she wondered where he was taking her...

* * *

She gasped, as they arrived at EvƎ, one of Detroit's hottest nightclubs.

"A nightclub?" She said, as Jazz projected his holoform and began leading her towards the door. "Oh no, Jazz, wait, this really isn't my scene!"

"Relax, Emma," Jazz smiled down at her.

She tried to, but didn't really succeed. Then, at the door, a guard was checking ID. When Emma showed him hers, he looked at her suspiciously.

Jazz coughed, and the guard looked at him. Jazz pointed back to the street, where his true form resided in vehicle mode. The Autobot Elite guard symbol was strikingly obvious on the bonnet.

The guard stared for a moment, before waving them on in.

They entered the nightclub.

"You ever made this scene before?!" Jazz asked Emma, over the music.

"No! Never!" She replied.

"Then, I guess that makes us the same then, huh sista?!"

She didn't say anything.

* * *

About an hour or so later, however, Emma was actually starting to find that she was starting to _enjoy_ herself. She never would have thought that it was possible, being at a nightclub (with a cute guy!) and having fun. All those times she'd watched her sister go to places like The Foundry and The Flying Scotsman, and never _once_ had she envisioned herself in her sister's place.

_If Mum and Nee-San could _see_ me now!_ Emma thought, actually smiling to herself as she waited by the wall whilst Jazz went up to the DJ to request a song. _Plus, Jazz has been on earth, what, just under two days? And, _already_ he seems to be enjoying it! This is...I mean, I've never felt like this before! It's..._ She looked up, and saw Charlie and her friends walking towards her. _The worst night _ever_._

* * *

Jazz was making his way back through the crowd to where he'd left Emma, hoping that she hadn't decided to bail on him. He stopped, however, when he saw Emma being confronted by the girl from the zoo (Charlie, was her name?), along with a few other girls.

Charlie pointed to one of the other girls, a dark-skinned human, and then at Emma, before pointing up at the stage.

Jazz saw Emma turn towards the stage, and then glance through the crowd, looking for him. She spotted him, and their gazes met. Jazz saw that she looked positively _mortified_ but that, at the same time, there was also a hint of underlying _fire_ in her golden eyes...she suddenly clenched her fists, looked squarely at Charlie and said, loud enough for Jazz to hear her above all the noise: "You're on!"

Charlie nodded firmly, and she and the dark-skinned girl began making their way up towards the stage, with Emma in tow, and the other girls behind her like some kind of an escort.

Jazz met her at the foot of the stage.

"Yo, what's happening, sista?" He asked, leaning close and talking in a lower voice, since the music had just stopped and everybody was looking around in bewilderment. "Seems to me like there's about to be some kind of a shindig, yo?"

Emma nodded, looking a little pale. "Y-yes, there is..." She whispered back. "Ch-Charlie and her friends just challenged m-me to a sing and dance-off, w-winner takes all."

"Which means?" Jazz raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of what was about to happen.

Emma looked at him. There was that fire again. "Which _means_, for the sake of the ones I love, I _won't_ lose."

* * *

Charlie had forgotten to mention _one_ fact - that her friend, Ailyshia, was studying at the music academy in Detroit. She was, to put it bluntly, _good_.

Emma, by the end of Ailyshia's performance, was feeling faint. Jazz glanced at her, and then did a double-take, because Emma looked like she was about to go into stasis...the humans called it 'passing out'.

"You okay?" Jazz whispered to her, as the crowd cheered.

Emma gulped. "I-I _have_ to be...I can do this..." She looked at him suddenly, as the DJ called her name. "I mean, if I can handle being captured by Megatron and watching him try and kill all my friend _in the same day_, then I can do _this_!" She left Jazz standing there, speechless.

Shaking as she was, Emma managed to get up onto the stage, and the DJ asked her what song she would like. He showed her the list, and she scanned it, feeling desperate - she didn't know any of these songs!

Just then, the name of a song caught her eye, and she realised that it was one of the songs that she had on her computer! It must have gone viral, thanks to Sari's interference...

* * *

As the music started, Jazz watched Emma up onstage, wearing the headset with the microphone attached so that she could dance properly. As she began to move, he recognized a _lot_ of what she was doing - it was dance moves, that was true, but it also had what looked like circuit-su thrown into it, the way she was moving!

Jazz just stared in rapture, as Emma began to sing: "_Turn up the music  
Let's get out on the floor  
I'll let it move it  
Come and give me some more  
Watch me getting physical and out of control  
There's people watching me  
I never miss a beat ...__ "_

Her voice was _good_. But, more than that...the way she was moving, and the sound of her voice...it was..._familiar_...

_"Steal the night  
Kill the lights  
Feel it under your skin  
Time is right  
Keep it tight  
Cos it's pulling you in  
Wrap it up  
Can't stop cos it feels like a overdose  
(Feels like an overdose)_

Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ let the music take me underground

(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ come burn this place right down to the ground

_"..._

Jazz then began dancing, in the crowd, mimicking Emma's movements up onstage, because he somehow _knew_ what she was going to do - he didn't know _how_he knew it, just that something was tying them together, causing them to move in-synch!

_"__My body's aching  
System overload  
Temperature's rising  
I'm about to explode  
Watch me I'm intoxicated  
Taking the show  
It got me hypnotized  
Everybody step aside_

Steal the night  
Kill the lights  
Feel it under your skin  
Time is right  
Keep it tight  
Cos it's pulling you in  
Wrap it up  
Can't stop cos it feels like a overdose  
(Feels like an overdose)

_..."_

The spotlights were on both Emma and Jazz, as she seemed to forget that she was up onstage.

_" __Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ let the music take me underground_

(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ come burn this place right down to the ground

Come on and evacuate  
Feel the clubbers heating up  
Move on and accelerate  
Push it to the top  
Come on and evacuate  
Feel the clubbers heating up  
Move on and accelerate  
You don't have to be afraid

_..."_

Jazz suddenly took up his cue to sing, being able to activate the microphone on his own headset, and singing the next part:

_" __Now guess who's back with a brand new track  
That got everybody in the club going mad  
So everybody in the back get your back up on the wall  
And just shake that thang  
Go crazy, yo lady, yo baby  
Let me see you work that thing  
Now drop it down low, low  
Let me see you take it to the dancefloor, yo  
_Emma was surprised, but continued as she was.

_"__(Everybody in the club!)  
Evacuate the dancefloor  
(Everybody in the club!)  
I'm infected by the sound  
(Everybody in the club!)  
Stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ let the music take me underground_

Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ let the music take me underground

(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, evacuate the dancefloor  
Oh, oh, I'm infected by the sound  
(Everybody in the club!)  
Oh, oh, stop, this beat is killing me  
Hey Mister DJ come burn this place right down to the ground

_ ..."_

Emma and Jazz stared at each other as the song finished, both of them breathing heavily. There was a moment of complete silence...and then, almost everybody in the building began cheering, deciding on the _clear_ winner of the contest!

Emma clutched her throat, as Jazz helped her down from the stage, and the camera-bots swarmed.

"I've never..._ever_ done something like that before!" Emma was breathless, and it was making her talk fast. "I mean, I sang in front of my school once, but I never thought I'd do something like that!" She surprised both herself and Jazz by hugging him then, but he didn't mind.

* * *

On the Elite guard Flagship, Ultra Magnus stared at the screen, his aqua-blue optics unusually wide as he watched the live footage from inside the nightclub that was called EvƎ.

He then shook his head, and opened up a com-link. "Jazz, get back to the ship, _right now_."

* * *

Prowl; Bumblebee; Bulkhead; Sari and Ratchet stared at the screen, unable to truly _believe_ what they were seeing.

"Is that..._Emma_?" Bulkhead blinked.

"_Our_ Emma?" Bumblebee rubbed his optics, and then checked the screen again. Yup, that sure _looked_ like her, and it _sounded_ like her, but...

"What in Primus' name does she think she's _doing_?!" Ratchet was horrified. "Turn that thing off, right now!" He crossed his arms, as Bumblebee quickly switched off the TV. "She's in _big_ trouble when she gets back here!" He said gruffly, stalking out of the room.

"At least _she's_ having fun..." Sari said, shrugging, and then noticing the look on Prowl's face. _What's up with him?_ Sari then recalled that Emma had just spent the entire day with Jazz, and a thought popped into her head. _No way...Prowl's jealous!_ She realised.

Just then, Prowl got a call on his com-link.

"Prowl, it's me," Emma's voice said, sounding sheepish. "Umm, can you come and get me from the Elite Guard Flagship...? Only...I think, Jazz and I are in trouble..."

* * *

The next day, Jazz was placed on monitor duty whilst Ultra Magnus went out on patrol. Emma, meanwhile, was grounded to the Autobot's base until further notice, and she wasn't about to argue with a grumpy Ratchet.

She spent the time unpacking what few belongings she had brought with her. She was staying in the room she had stayed in last time she'd been brought here. She tidied up; ate two-minute noodles for lunch, and gave Scuz-Bag a bath in the trough.

She was wondering about something. Last night, when he'd picked her up, Prowl had seemed unusually _quiet_ (well, for him, anyways), and hadn't said a single word to her other than 'hop on'."

_Is he angry at me?_ Emma bit her lip. She decided to avoid _everybody_, that day.

Later on, though, she decided to go and see how Sari was doing, and found Bumblebee; Bulkhead and Prowl crowded around the closed roller-door into Sari's room.

Prowl glanced at her, and then walked off without a word.

Emma sighed, and then knocked on the roller-door to Sari's room. She opened the roller-door without waiting for an answer, and went inside. Bumblebee and Bulkhead exchanged a glance, and then followed her silently.

Sari was lying on her bed, which had been formed by an old tyre and some sheets. She got up when Bumblebee and Bulkhead approached her. "What do _you_ guys want?" She asked, irritably.

"Nothing." Bumblebee told her.

"We just wanted to know if you were okay." Bulkhead added.

"Okay?" Sari's cheeks turned pink, and she glared at them. "If I'm _okay_? My _Dad_ is missing, I lost control of his company, that Powell guy is going to destroy _everything_ good he worked for," she was getting worked up by this stage, and Emma knew that the end-result was coming. "I've been kicked out of the only home I've ever known and I don't even know if I exist and you think I'm _okay_?!" She burst into tears.

_Bingo..._ Emma thought, tears in her own eyes now, as she sat down beside Sari and put her arms around her. Sari sobbed even harder, and buried her face in Emma's chest.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead exchanged a glance, and then assumed their holoforms. Bumblebee sat on Sari's left and put his arms around her from the front. Bulkhead perched behind them, and hugged all three of them from behind.

"Her eyes are leaking..." Bulkhead muttered.

"It's okay," Bumblebee said. "Sari, you let them leak us much as you need. We're here for you, and you're safe. So, whatever it is, you know you can always...tell us." He finished, a bit awkwardly. "We'll listen."

"That's what family's for, Sari." Emma finished softly.

Sari sniffled against Emma's chest. "Thank you..." She murmured.

Prowl was watching from the doorway and, when Emma looked up, they met each others gaze.

Prowl looked away, and then walked off, leaving Emma feeling very confused...

* * *

watch?v=hrYtAAJTH9E - Evacuate The Dancefloor, By Cascada...


	12. All That Jazz

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER TWELVE

All That Jazz...

* * *

Emma walked downtown by herself a few days later, after being allowed out again by Ratchet, and not feeling any better about her current situation.

She cradled a cup of coffee in her hands, and listened to her MP3 Player, walking through the streets.

Unbeknownst to her, a figure was watching her.

_She's walking through the streets like she's the only one online...I know _that_ feeling..._ The beautiful lady with black hair streaked with blonde frowned. Her eyes were a strange muddy-violet - the result of blue contacts on red eyes. She wore a short, cleavage-revealing violet dress with long sleeves over what looked like a lighter, white polka-dotted underdress. She was also wearing black thigh high-heeled boots and two golden bracelets on each wrist. A silver Decepticon symbol hung from her neck, and red hourglass earrings dangled from her ears. Her lips were painted violet, and people stared at her as she walked past, mostly men stared at her with open curiosity, because she was really quite pretty.

It wasn't her true form though, and she knew it.

Blackarachnia had, for some reason, been following Emma for that entire morning, curious because of the strange power-reading that she was getting from this human.

Emma was not aware that Blackarachnia was following her, and so didn't stop to think when her hand glowed blue, suddenly. Blackarachnia's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly followed Emma as the young woman hurried down a side alley, and through a small space in the fence to reach a vacant lot.

Blackarachnia peered through the hole in the fence, and couldn't _believe_ what she saw next - Emma reached down, and picked up a glittering Fragment that _had_ to belong to the All-Spark. The Fragment was then absorbed into her hand!

"Ah!" Emma exclaimed, closing her eyes as a rush of energy took her over. The energy disappeared, but the All-Spark's signal did not. Emma stayed that way for quite some time.

Blackarachnia gritted her teeth slightly, and dug her red-painted fingernails into the fencepost, getting ready to strike.

Just then, a hand grabbed her arm, and yanked her back.

Blackarachnia was about to attack the one that had _dared_ to interrupt her, but then she saw whom it was.

"_Starscream_?!" She hissed quietly, glaring into his bright red eyes.

"Think very _carefully_ about what you're planning to do, you filthy half-breed." Starscream growled softly, his own fingernails digging into Blackarachnia's arm, and she gasped.

"I don't need _you_ or _anybody_ to tell me what to do anymore, Starscream!" The femme replied, yanking her arm away from the former Decepticon second-in-command. "I'm going my _own_ way!"

"Then, what's this?" Starscream grabbed the Decepticon symbol around her neck. "A decoration?"

"You're one to talk, fly-boy!" She retorted. "I saw the way Megatron punished you, for betraying him all those stellar-cycles ago! It's not a good idea to betray your allies - you might get taken offline." She added, pointedly.

"_I_ am _still_ a Decepticon!" Starscream snapped. "I will be the one to punish the Autobots for what they've done, and Megatron is just as much to blame as they are! _I_ will be the supreme leader of the Decepticons and, for that, I need Angel in _one piece_!"

Blackarachnia gasped, Starscream's words hitting home instantly. "Wait, you're saying that human girl is..._Angel_?" She turned around, but Emma had, in those last few minutes, vanished. Blackarachnia cursed, and so did Starscream.

They turned back to face each other. "Look," Starscream said, trying to get his temper under control. "You want to rid yourself of your cursed organic-half, and I want to become leader of the Decepticons. To do that, we'll need Angel to keep doing what she just did..."

"Which is, _absorb the All-Spark Fragments_..." Blackarachnia realised. A distant memory was entering her mind, just then, one of a silver femme with big wings and yellow-optics. "That's the only way, isn't it?"

Starscream nodded. "Yes. I also need to take out Megatron, but that shouldn't be _too_ much of a problem." He tapped his forehead. "After all, I'm _immortal_ now, so to speak." Blackarachnia gaped at him. Starscream smirked.

Blackarachnia said: "You've tried six times since coming back online to take out Megatron and failed now, haven't you?"

Starscream glared at her. "They're only minor setbacks!" he coughed, and regained his composure. "So, Blackarachnia, just keep an optic - or four - on Angel for me, whilst I go and rid the universe of that pathetic excuse for a leader, Megatron." He turned and ran, before transforming into his robot mode, and then his jet mode, taking off into the skies.

Blackarachnia stared after him. "You have _got_ to be _kidding_ me!"

* * *

Emma arrived back at the base, trying to cling onto the images that the All-Spark Fragment had just shown her.

It had clearly been an image of Starscream, and he'd looked injured. She (or, at least Emma _supposed_ that it was her) reached out to him, her hands (which were silver) glowing blue, and Starscream looked up at her gratefully.

_"Next time...I'll succeed...next time...he will _pay_..."_ Starscream had growled.

_"Oh, Starscream, how many times do we have to go through this before _something_ changes?"_ She'd replied, shaking her head.

Emma shook her head in real life, and entered the Autobots' base. "I'm _ho-ome_!" She called out, and was nearly thrown off balance by Sari.

The little red-head threw her arms around Emma, and wailed: "They're leaving!"

"What?!" Emma cried, looking up at the stoic-looking Autobots. "Again? By whose order _this_ time?" She asked, somewhat testily. She looked at Optimus, and he looked away. She then glanced at Prowl, but he wouldn't even look up at her.

"By the order of Ultra Magnus." Sentinel said from behind her, and she looked up at him. He glared down at her. "I don't see what the big deal is - you can just take care of her, and let _us_ get along with _our_ business!"

"You have no idea about the complexities of this, do you?!" Emma exclaimed. She looked back at Optimus. "Guys, I can be her Nanny and her tutor, but I _can't_ be a parent to her! I don't know how to cook or clean or...or..._any_ of that stuff I'm _supposed_ to know! I can't be a Mum!" She shook her head, and hugged Sari around the shoulders.

"Then, we need to find somebody that _can_." Bumblebee decided.

* * *

"_Absolutely not_!" Fanzone, dressed only in a fuzzy blue dressing gown, crossed his arms and glared at them.

"Aww, come on, they won't be any trouble!" Bumblebee promised. "You won't even know they're there!"

Sari peered out skeptically from behind Bumblebee's knee, and Emma crossed her arms, secretly listening to her MP3 Player.

"Why _me_?" Fanzone wanted to know. He looked at Emma. "Why can't _you_ do it?"

"Because she can't cook." Bulkhead explained.

"Or, clean." Ratchet added.

"Or, any of that other human stuff that parents have to do." Bumblebee gave Fanzone the thumbs-up. "So, you're number one!"

* * *

"I know that they were only repeating what I'd said earlier," Emma was telling Victoria and Sai, as they ate ice-cream at a cafe, after going rollerblading. Emma couldn't believe that an older woman enjoyed rollerblading but, then again, Victoria studied martial arts, so she was also really into keeping fit and stuff. Sai, as well, was surprisingly good at it, and Emma wished that her parents could see it, since they believed that only teenagers and little kids should rollerblade. "But, they were really mean, Victoria!"

Victoria laughed. "Maybe, but I can't help but agree with them, Emma - maybe you should take a course in cooking and house-keeping?" She suggested.

"Orrrr...you could just _teach_ me, for free?" Emma said, from behind her empty cup, and Victoria started laughing.

Just then, they heard sirens, and a TV from a shop window nearby played an emergency broadcast. "A train is speeding out of control for the old station, loaded with some kind of cosmic energy! The Autobots are on their way!"

"Cosmic energy?" Emma muttered, and then she gasped. "Or, an All-Spark Fragment!" She looked at Sai. "Can you please give me a ride?!"

He nodded.

"We can only take you to the intersection at Princess Street and Wings Road." Victoria warned her, as Sai sped towards the rail-line. "You'll have to go the rest of the way on foot!" She did _not_ sound like she was about to give a reason anytime soon.

Emma nodded. "It'll be a whole lot faster if I skate." She said, strapping on her rollerblades again. They were new, and silver and black. They went _perfectly_ with her chosen outfit of the day, a short black skirt with a white singlet, and a short grey scarf around her neck. She wasn't focusing on her outfit, however - she was focusing on the task at hand!

* * *

Sai and Victoria stopped, and Emma jumped out, skating away from them as fast as she could.

_Who would've thought, all those years of skating back home have...finally...paid off..._ Emma felt another power pushing her compelling her forwards. The wind rushed in her hair, and the scenery sped past, and she wondered how fast she was going. _These must be jet-powered rocket-skates, or...something..._

Emma only stopped when she saw the Autobots up ahead but, it seemed, the crisis was averted!

"Aww," she complained, sliding to a stop. "I'm too late..."

The All-Spark Fragment in Ultra Magnus' hand suddenly started glowing, and the Fragment shot out of his hand, before slowly moving to Emma, which is when the Autobots noticed that she was there.

"Huh?" They all said, in unison.

"Emma?" Jazz and Prowl added in unison.

"Oh no!" Emma gasped, knowing what the fragment was doing. "Not again - why me?!" She screamed, although it was more like a yell, as the Fragment shot into her chest, forming a blue light around her that rocketed up into the sky. She held her arms out on either side of her, and her hands both glowed.

Everybody stared at Emma in shock, the blue light of the All-Spark radiating around them.

She closed her eyes, and held her hands to her chest as the light was drawn back into her, and she was seeing something...

_A wise old Transformer wearing a Japanese-styled helmet was talking to her, telling her not to panic as the walls around them shook._

_Her spark was beating in her chest...this was _not_ okay!_

_"What have they come for?!" She cried._

_"They have come for the protoforms, which we _must_ protect," her Master told her. "And I, must protect _you_, dear Angel - do not be afraid."_

_"Master Yoketron..."_

Emma suddenly opened her eyes and gasped, aware of the tears falling silently down her face as she was jerked back to the present day. She groaned slightly, and cupped her hands over her nose in the triangle shape. "Master Yoketron...he was taken offline..." She was suddenly grabbed by her scarf, and she gasped, shaken out of her reverie just as sharply.

"Did you all see that?!" Sentinel was pinching her scarf between his fingers, as if he was afraid that she would contaminate him, or something. "This filthy organic just absorbed the All-Spark Fragment! Give it back, right now!" He ordered her.

"Sentinel, let her go!" Prowl called. "It's not her fault!" he clenched his fists. _Emma just...absorbed the All-Spark fragment...and...she said...Master Yoketron's name...what does this _mean_?_

"Let her go, SP, before you hurt her, yo?" Jazz added, looking worried. He'd heard it, too...it had stirred up long buried deep memories for the _both_ of them...

"Not until she coughs up the Fragments that she stole!" Sentinel shook Emma roughly. "Cough it up, organic!"

She suddenly realised that he might choke her, and that she didn't _like_ being called organic. Swiftly, she moved, using the punch-kick combination that she had slowly perfected. Sentinel yelped as her skin made contact with him, and he let her go.

She flipped around, and landed, straightening up and glaring at Sentinel. As she whipped off her scarf, she said: "First of all, my name is _not_ 'organic', it is Emma! Second of all, the All-Spark _chose_ me! I don't know how or why, but the Decepticons sure seem to know, because they caused a mess here last week," she switched her glare to Ultra Magnus. "And, thirdly, if you're really too _blind_ to see that what Optimus has been telling you all along is the _truth_, _then what kind of a leader are you_?! _THERE ARE DECEPTICONS ON THIS PLANET_!" She finished in a kind of scream.

There was a silence following her words, as everybody stared at her in stunned silence. Ultra Magnus was staring at her, and she forced herself to look up and into his aqua-blue optics.

As soon as her golden gaze met him, he _knew_...he drew in a sharp intake of breath...

Jazz stared at Emma too, remembering how she had spoken about Megatron the other night. _Seems these humans have more spark than we gave em' credit for..._ Jazz realised.

Sentinel, however, was _furious_. "Why, you pathetic, weakling of a..." He trailed off, and looked past Emma. "Umm, what's that?"

They all turned, except for Emma, to see a young man with black hair standing behind her, and he put his hands on her shoulders. Leaning down, he whispered to her: "_Now_ do you see the _true_ nature of the Autobots, my little Angel?"

Emma's eyes widened. "Oh. Hello, Starscream." She said.

Optimus; Ratchet; Prowl; Bulkhead; Bumblebee and Sari all gasped. "_Starscream_?!" They all shouted.

Starscream smirked. "That's right, you pathetic Autobots!" He announced and, with that, he transformed, grasping Emma firmly in one hand and pointing the lasers of his other arm directly at Ultra Magnus. "Say goodbye!" He added, and shot ultra Magnus directly in the chest-plate, knocking him backwards.

Then, he turned and, with Emma still in his grasp, began to walk away. That was when she noticed that he was injured, and she felt a pang in her chest.

Ultra Magnus was injured, but not in stasis, and he called, with a slight note of panic in his voice: "Don't let him get away!"

"But, what _is_ that thing?!" Sentinel asked Optimus, sounding thoroughly panicked.

"Oh, that's right, you've never seen one up close - it's called 'a Decepticon'." Optimus told him, slightly smugly.

"How do we stop him without hurting Emma?!" Sari cried.

"You and Ratchet take care of Ultra Magnus!" Optimus jumped into action. "Bumblebee; Prowl; Bulkhead and Fanzone, evacuate the humans from the area!" Everybody rushed off, used to following his orders and seeing the complete logic in them now. "Sentinel and Jazz, we'll get Emma back and take down Starscream!"

Sentinel wasn't happy about it, but Jazz convinced the two Primes to get along long enough to fight the bad guy and rescue the captive, dig?

"Starscream!" Emma said, holding onto his thumb so that she could twist her body around to see him. He glanced down at her, but continued walking. "You're injured, let someone..." _Yeah, right, like _Sari_ is going to help him!_

"I'll be fine!" Starscream assured her, although he didn't _sound_ fine.

Emma shook her head. "Oh, Starscream, how many times do we have to go through this before _something_ changes?"

Starscream _did_ stop then, and stared down at her, calculating. "Angel..." He began.

"Starscream, why don't you just let them capture you, play along for awhile and _then_ maybe you could escape?" Emma suggested.

Starscream shook his head. "No! Surrender is not an option for a Decepticon! You know that!"

Emma sighed. "Then, this is the way it's gotta be, I guess..." She kicked upwards, and snapped Starscream's fingers back, before twisting around and pushing herself away from him. "Sorry!" She called to him, as he cried out in pain.

"She's safe!" Emma heard Optimus shout. "Let's go!" As he and sentinel moved forwards, Jazz came out of nowhere and caught Emma in his hands.

"You cool now, Em?" He asked her.

"I am now." She smiled, and together the two of them watched as Starscream was taken down.

"How _dare_ you Autobot scum _do_ this to me!" Starscream shouted, as he fell. "You haven't changed since-" He was cut off by a pair of stasis cuffs, and a clamp over his mouth, but he continued to stare at Emma, as she got into Jazz's alt mode. _Just you wait...all of you!_

Blackarachnia watched from a rooftop as Starscream was taken back to the Elite Guard Flagship. "Hmm...do I help Starscream bust out, _or_...do I go my own way?" The spider-lady sighed. "Ah, such a dilemma...well, Starscream, I suppose I'll see you if I see you." She shrugged, and walked off.

* * *

The Elite Guard was leaving that very afternoon, although Ultra Magnus had decided, in recent events, to let Optimus Prime and his crew stay on earth.

He had decided _not_ to mention much about the human femme that had absorbed the Fragments - whether the others recognized her in her new form or _not_, only time would tell...

He warned Optimus to keep a close optic on her, however, and to make sure that she and the All-Spark did _not_ fall into Decepticon hands, ever again.

Emma, when she heard the news from atop Optimus shoulder, had to keep from jumping up and down. She just settled for smiling politely, and apologizing for what she had said earlier.

"Given the circumstances, such words were not..._too_ far, out of line." Ultra Magnus gave a rare smile. _She hasn't changed a bit in personality, I see._ "All is forgiven."

Emma saluted. "I've misjudged you, sir."

He nodded to her.

Sentinel couldn't _believe_ all of this!

As Optimus was carrying Emma out of the ship, which was about to depart, he asked her: "Umm, what happened to that silver thing you had around your neck?"

"Oh, my scarf?" Emma shrugged. "I must've lost it somewhere...oh well." She thought that, maybe, Starscream must have it. _Eat your heart out, Transformers Armada..._

"You know, for having just been rescued from the Decepticon Second-In-Command, you seem _awfully_ calm," Optimus glanced at her. "And, let's not _forget_ the All-Spark Fragments...when were you planning on _telling_ us all this?"

Emma cringed. "Uh...tonight?"

Optimus gave her a Look.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm just..." She sighed. "So used to doing things on my own, and not telling my secrets...it keeps me safe, you know?"

Optimus nodded. "Yeah, well, from now on, I hope you'll trust _us_ a little more with your secrets, so that we can keep _you_ safe. Understood?"

She saluted again. "Sir, yes, sir!"

He rolled his optics.

"Hey, wait up, guys!" Jazz called, hurrying after them. They turned around. "Optimus Prime, you mind if I borrow Ems for a nano-click?"

"Not at all." Optimus set Emma down on the floor, and turned and walked away.

Jazz waited until he had gone, and then assumed his holoform.

Emma smiled at him. "S-so, I guess you're l-leaving now, huh?"

Jazz nodded, his braids swinging. "A shame really - I was _really_ starting to _dig_ this place and...well, certain people in it..." As Emma blushed, Jazz stepped up closer to her. "Now, I've only been on this planet for a short time, but I've probably learned _way_ more than I _ever_ could with the Elite guard, ya dig?" He smiled at her. "I didn't know you, but wanted the chance to, and I got it. I gotta say, the way you moved up there on the stage the other night was, well..._alive_, you know? _Electric_...I get the same feeling from you, Em - more than just the All-Spark. I get a real, well, _connection_ with you, and I just wanted to be sure you and I were still cool, even though I'm leaving."

Emma didn't know what to say, and so she just nodded.

Jazz's smile grew. "Cool...there's just _one_ last thing..." His electric blue eyes glittered and Emma realised, with a jolt, that he was _much_ too close, now...

* * *

When Emma left the Elite Guard Flagship, she was very silent, and watched it take off, feeling a strange pang of emptiness in her heart.

Sari noticed how quiet Emma was being, and so asked her about it, back at the base.

They were sitting on a platform, swinging their legs over the side of it.

"So, what's up?" Sari glanced suspiciously at her and, sure enough, Emma flinched. "Come on, I _know_ something happened, so spill - what happened on the ship?"

"Oh, nothing much," Emma shrugged. "Ultra Magnus - by the way, he's actually _really_ cool - gave Sentinel a reprimanding, and then complimented Optimus, which is good. He told Optimus to take care of me, and the All-Spark Fragments, which is fine. Then, as we were leaving, Jazz wanted to say a quick goodbye, and then..." She blushed quite suddenly. "Something..._happened_..." Her fingers flew to her lips, as the memory came back to her. Jazz's kiss had been, well..._electric_, and almost like it was on _fire_! It had been warm, and it had left her feeling tingly, and it was her _very first kiss_! She still couldn't quite believe that it had happened, and that he wasn't even on earth anymore! Oh, the humanity!

Sari gasped. "Did you two..._kiss_?!" She exclaimed.

"Shh!" Emma hissed, quickly waving her hands. "Keep your voice down but, yes, we did!" She gulped, and then giggled softly. "I _still_ can't quite believe it..."

"Aww..." Sari grinned at her. "Well, you said so yourself, that you wanted to grow up a bit this year." She reminded her. "We're right behind you, Ems."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, well, oh! But, you can't tell anybody, not even Bumblebee, okay _especially_ not Bumblebee!" She said firmly.

"But, I tell Bumblebee _everything_, and I tell Bulkhead more." Sari complained.

"Not a word!" Emma warned her.

"Sheesh, okay, okay." Sari rolled her eyes. _Hmm..._ Sari thought suddenly. _I wonder what Prowl would say, if he knew..._

Unbeknownst to both the girls, a certain black cyber-ninja was listening to them from below, his spark feeling like it had just been shattered...


	13. All's Fair In Love And War

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level animated violence

. Mild level adult themes

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

All's Fair In Love And War

* * *

_Eight months ago..._

_Emma walked out into the kitchen, intent on making herself a club ham sandwich - the best kind. She'd already had one a half hour ago, but so what? She was hungry - and, besides, there was still one piece of bread left, the beautiful, crumbly end bit. The bit that everybody goes for. She was listening to her MP3 Player as she did so, and _Far Away_, by Nickelback, was playing._

_Emma opened the freezer, to discover that the bread was no longer there._

_She turned to her Mother. "Where did the bread go?" Emma wanted to know._

_"In the bin." Lee answered, not taking her eyes away from where she was watching _Law And Order_._

_"What?!" Emma cried. "Mum. that was a perfectly good piece of bread, and you threw it out!"_

_"Oh, stop being so bloody stupid, Emma!" Lee snapped back._

_Emma drew in an impatient breath, and went searching for some more bread. As she did, she said, out-loud: "Why throw out a perfectly good piece of bread? I was going to eat that!"_

_Lee didn't reply, but just frowned - her daughter would _always_ blow such little things out of proportion._

_Emma sighed, and glanced at her almost-empty wine glass - she'd had a little to drink that night, but not as much as her Mother. It was a touchy subject in the Paradiso household, one that none of them really wanted to think about, nor do much about. Emma said: "How could you throw that out - it was perfectly fine?!"_

_Lee had finally had enough. She got up and, seeing that her daughter had both earphones in, stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a pair of scissors to cut one chord, or possibly both of them. She had destroyed one pair of earphones of her youngest daughter's before, and the only thing that stopped her from doing it now was the fact that Emma grabbed the MP3 Player and hid it behind her back. She glared at her Mother._

_Lee slammed the scissors onto the table, and said: "Don't look at me like that! You want the fucking bread?" She went to the bin, and took it out. It was still in its packaging, but she took it out and slamming it into Emma's hand. "Then, eat it!"_

_Emma, taken by surprise, dropped the pice of bread. "Wha-?"_

_"Eat it!" Lee repeated, picking up the bread and thrusting it at her daughter again._

_Emma stared at the bread in her hand, not trusting herself to look at her Mother. "I...it fell on the floor." She said, finally. "I can't."_

_"Three second rule!" Lee snapped. "Eat it!"_

_"I can't." Emma repeated. "I'll give it to the dog..."_

_Hearing those last two words, the black Labrador Retriever, Ranger, trotted into the kitchen, but immediately hightailed it out of there again, when Lee said: "You can't eat it because you're fucking stupid!" She glared at Emma and then, noticing the almost-empty glass of wine (paid for from the nearly non-existent funds of the TAFE student), picked it up and tipped it out. She then slammed it back onto the bench, and the fine neck of the wine glass broke, sending slivers of glass scattering._

_Emma just stared, as Lee cursed, and stormed back to watch her TV program._

_Emma, meanwhile, slipped into the laundry and fed Ranger the little piece of bread, scratching him behind the ears as he ate. When Lee went up to the bedroom to tell her husband what had happened, Emma slipped out the backdoor and stood out in the semi-cool evening, staring up at the stars and wondering what she had done wrong..._

* * *

Present day...

Emma was jerked back into reality by Sari tapping her shoulder.

The little girl had been saying something to her, and Emma shook her head quickly, to clear it. "I'm sorry, what?" She blinked.

Sari sighed, and gestured to the TV. "I _said_, that this wouldn't have happened if my _Dad_ was still running Sumdac Systems, right?"

Emma looked to the TV screen, which was showing how the trash bots all over the city had been malfunctioning as of late. It was due to a contract dispute between City Hall and Sumdac Systems. Emma wasn't _entirely_ sure what that meant, but it probably had _something_ to do with money - didn't these things always revolve around that?

Emma nodded. "Yeah, your Dad would never have let this sort of thing take place..." She agreed.

Sari sighed again, but this time it was sadly. "Do you think his reputation will be...you know, tarnished?" Even her pigtails drooped.

Emma hugged Sari around the shoulder. "Kiddo, the people of this city are a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them - they'll catch on, sooner or later." She said, confidently.

Optimus came up behind them, and both girls looked up at him as he stood behind the couch and watched the mayhem happening onscreen. "Even so, this could be a good opportunity for us to repair broken bonds with the humans - as well as help them clear out some of this garbage. Autobots," he added, as Sari and Emma blinked up at him, and the other Autobots came into the room. "Transform and roll out!"

As this was taking place, Emma tried to catch Prowl's eye, but he stubbornly seemed to refuse to even acknowledge her existence, and sped out of the base.

Emma sighed, and decided to ride with Ratchet - even listening to the doc-bot's complaining was better than dwelling on what she might have done to make Prowl hate her...

* * *

As the other Autobots shifted garbage bags onto the ship, to be taken away (to where, who knows?), and Sari supervised, Emma sat on the railings by the water. She alternated between watching Scuz chase around the insects that had been lured in by the recent garbage influx, and watching Ratchet use his electro-magnetic powers to move sections of a big pile of garbage.

"You know," Emma told Scuz, swinging her legs back and forth and thinking about the Autobots regaining their place within society. "This _might_ actually work..."

As Emma watched, Ratchet moved a pile of trash that happened to have a car in the midst. Undeterred, the old Autobot continued with what he was doing, that is until the owner of the car intervened.

"Hey, that's my car!" The dark-skinned, very short old man yelled, waving his arms about. "Eh, put it down, now!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ratchet said gruffly, rolling his optics, as he disengaged his electro-magnetic powers.

Emma glanced over her shoulder, and watched as the car and the trash splashed into the waters behind her. "And, then again..." She narrowed her eyes.

The old guy gaped. "You..." He turned back to Ratchet angrily, and pointed. "You, you're gonna pay for that! All you lousy alien machines, you're gonna pay, I swear!"

Emma sat in the background between them and watched as Ratchet stomped his foot down. She clung onto the railings but the old guy wasn't so lucky - he was knocked down. Scuz curled up into a ball, as Ratchet pointed a finger and said: "You're the one who parked that thing under a trash heap!"

"Now, listen up, you over-grown vacuum cleaner," the old man was back on his feet in an instant. There was a lot of finger-pointing going on. "That trash heap wasn't there when I parked it!" He suddenly gasped as Ratchet used the pincers that generated his electro-magnetic powers to pick up the old man by the back of his blue vest.

"And _how_ is that _my_ fault?!" Ratchet demanded to know, as the old man squirmed and protested and claimed that he knew his rights, and was calling the police...or, a tow-truck!

Emma sighed. "Maybe _not_..." She sighed, glancing behind her as Bumblebee and Optimus face-palmed in unison. They were watching, of course. "_Definitely_ not..." She, too, face-palmed. _Heh...you gotta love these guys, though..._

Captain Fanzone arrived suddenly. He called, through a megaphone: "You! Quit harassing the Autobot!" The old man let his shoulders sag, as Ratchet seemed to smirk, but then the old bot looked angry, as Fanzone said (slowly): "You! Put _down_ the citizen!" When Ratchet dropped the old guy, Fanzone helped him up and said that the city would compensate him for his loss, and that he should go about his business.

The old man dusted himself off, and then pointed at Ratchet (_again_ with the pointing!). "_This_ isn't over, tin-can!" He threatened.

Ratchet clicked his pincers at the man, and said man ran off, terrified.

"And _you_, my Autobot friend," Fanzone said, as the other Autobots hurried over. "Could stand to work on your people skills!"

"There's nothing wrong with my people skills!" Ratchet said firmly, crossing his arms.

"You know it's bad when you make _Captain Fanzone_ look like the friendly one!" Sari pointed out.

"_Hey_!" Ratchet and Fanzone cried, in unison, glaring at her as she grinned.\Optimus, however, agreed with Sari, and suggested that it would be a good idea if somebody worked with him on projecting a more pleasant disposition.

Bumblebee whispered to Sari: "I pity the poor glitch who gets stuck with _that_ assignment." The two of them laughed.

"Ahem?" Emma coughed pointedly, as she jumped down from the railings and nudged Scuz with her foot. He uncurled, allowing himself to be picked up.

Bumblebee and Sari faltered. "He means _us_, doesn't he?"

Sari gaped. "What are _you_ smiling at?" She asked Prowl.

"Apparently there is _one_ job less dignified than hauling trash." He replied.

Sari stuck her tongue out at him.

Emma, however, tried to catch his eye again, but once again he pointedly refused to and sped off at the word from Optimus.

Emma face-palmed again, as Ratchet crossed his arms and glared at Bumblebee.

The yellow bot transformed and then opened his door, which Emma took as her cue to jump in and did, leaving Sari to ride with Ratchet and completely ignore the fact that her key was acting up again.

* * *

They presently became stuck in a traffic jam, much to their annoyance.

"Move it, already!" Ratchet yelled, annoyed, and beeped his horn continuously. "Don;t you humans have anything _better_ to do?!"

Emma pitied poor Sari, stuck with the grump old ambulance bot. She tsked, however, when Bumblebee used his sirens to get through traffic, and Ratchet followed suit. They reminded her of the cops from a movie she had watched, once.

Just then, a man jumped out in Ratchet's path, forcing him to slam on the brakes.

"Someone help me!" The man cried. "My wife is about to have a baby and our car broke down! We need to get to a hospital right away!" It was Spike and Carly Witwicky - how strange...

Emma took one look at the blonde-haired lady with the bulging stomach, and was out of Bumblebee's alt mode in a second. "Are you okay?" She asked, unnecessarily, taking Carly by the arms.

"I-I think so..." Carly looked both scared and excited, and just the slightest bit awed. She raised an eyebrow suddenly. "Umm, is that a porcupine on your head?"

"An echidna, actually." Emma replied, rolling her eyes. Typical Americans...

As Ratchet finally agreed to help out, Emma and Spike helped Carly into the back of the ambulance's alt mode. Emma then returned to Bumblebee.

Everything was going fine (well, sort of) until they encountered Wreck-Gar. Forced to screech to a stop to avoid an oncoming armored truck, followed by Wreck-Gar brandishing a back axel like a hockey-stick, Emma; Sari; Carly and Spike found themselves on the street as the two Autobots transformed.

Spike and Carly claimed that they were going to call and a cab, and hurried off, as Sari and Bumblebee raced after Wreck-Gar, followed by Ratchet.

Emma glanced between the two groups, torn, before hurrying after the parents-to-be.

"I have a mobile phone, err, a cell phone!" Emma said, pulling out her silver phone and dialing 0-0-0, before remembering to dial 9-1-1. She waited, and then the lady asked her what she needed. "An ambulance, please."

The lady asked her what her emergency was, and then Spike grabbed the phone from her and cried: "My wife is about to have a baby, and we just got attacked by a giant robot!"

"What is your location, sir?" The lady was ever-pleasant.

As Spike yelled at the poor, pleasant lady, Emma approached Carly, and helped her to sit down. "I-is this your first baby?" She asked.

Carly nodded, looking more scared and in pain, now. "Y-yes!" She winced. "Aurgh! C-can I...hold your hand?"

"Sure." Emma said, unknowingly holding out her hand, and Carly just about broke it when she grabbed and squeezed it. When Spike came over, Carly grabbed his hand, too.

"It hurts so bad!" Carly screeched.

"We know!" Emma and Spike exclaimed.

* * *

Sari; Bumblebee and Ratchet, meanwhile, were trying to find Wreck-Gar and the sample of Powell's Micro-Bots that had been taken.

Sari called Emma, to find out where she was.

"Emma, where are you?" Sari wanted to know. There was a lot of noise coming from the background. "What's going on?"

"Sari, is that you?!" Emma sounded like her phone was on loud-speaker. "Hold on a second!" She began breathing weird, and so did somebody else that was with her. "Ha-ha-ha! Hee-hoo-hee!"

Sari raised an eyebrow. "Umm, Emma?"

"Can I call you back, Sari?!" Emma called.

"_We're having a baby_!" Somebody else yelled.

The line then went dead.

"Problem?" Ratchet asked, testily.

"Emma's having a baby?" Sari blinked. She hadn't really understood her Nanny's message.

Ratchet grumbled: "Just don't tell Prowl, or else he'll _really_ have something to complain about!"

"Oh...you noticed?" Sari asked him.

"It's a little bit hard _not_ to!" Ratchet snapped. "And they call _me_ the grumpy one?"

* * *

Emma jumped up when the nurse came into the waiting room, wearing a big smile on her face. She motioned over her shoulder and Emma, feeling slightly awed, crept into the private hospital room.

She peered in, to where Spike was hovering over the bed, looking proud. Late afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, and illuminated Carly's tired but caring face, and the face of the tiny newborn that she cradled in her arms.

Spike glanced up and saw Emma, and motioned her closer. She crept in, feeling slightly reverent.

"Well, here he is," Carly whispered, drawing back the blankets to reveal more of the baby boy's face. "Daniel Spike Witwicky..."

"Aww..." Emma said, standing at the edge of the bed and feeling like she was intruding upon something sacred, something private. She wasn't sure what else to say, except: "C-congratulations..."

"Thank you." Spike smiled proudly, like any new Father would.

"Would you like to hold him?" Carly asked, sounding a whole lot calmer than she had been a few short hours ago.

Emma shook her head quickly. "N-no, no thanks I...I can't...hold newborns..." She closed her eyes, and remembered something...

* * *

_Three years ago..._

_It was a few days after Valentines Day and, on the fifteenth, the first great-grandchild of the Paradiso family had been born. It had not been to the eldest, Lee and Bruce's daughter Sarah, nor to the most mature and likely to succeed, Rose and John's daughter Ashlee. No, it was to Shirley and Wayne's son, Clinton, and his girlfriend, Ricki-Lee Coulter. Though she bore the exact same name as the singer, all similarities ended there. She was, to put it mildly, morbidly obese, and that had nothing to do with the fact of pregnancy. That would not have been the _slightest_ problem, except for the fact that she was also mean to people in the family, looking down upon them and treating them badly. Most of all, she treated Wayne badly, and said many things about him behind his back, despite the fact that he'd paid for so many things for her and Clinton, and put a roof over their heads even though their house wasn't even big enough for _two_ people, let alone four and now five._

_It seemed strange, that she'd gotten into their family and, as the years went on, people like Ashlee and her younger brother, Mitchell, as well as Lee and Sarah, would come to resent her and dearly wish to say things to her that would be home truths, and some! None, however, more so than Emma, would dearly love to do that, and one of the reasons why was that Ricki-Lee had insulted Emma's ability as a woman..._

_Sarah and her partner at the time, Mike, had gone to visit Ricki-Lee in the hospital, and Emma came with them. Sarah took her turn holding the newborn baby, a girl named Bella Anne (a beautiful name). Sarah then handed Bella to her nervous sister, completely unawares that she'd just handed Bella over, one on the wrong side (head facing to Emma's right, and everybody had their own way of wanting to hold a child) and two, with her arms still underneath, resulting in a bit of a struggle to relinquish hold of the child._

_Bella, picking up on this., began to fidget and fuss, making Emma even _more _nervous, and then Bella began to cry._

_Emma felt cold and clammy, and her mind was a blur. How did people do this? How did they learn? Now what should she do?! Her throat constricted, and she tried to position the baby properly._

_"Is she okay?" Ricki-Lee asked, from where she lay on the hospital bed. "She looks like she's gonna drop her." There was a hint of contempt in her voice when she said this. She herself was an older sister, and had helped to raise her younger siblings because her Mother had had about six different partners, and their family was, to put it mildly, a bit messed up. She was glad that Clinton had taken her away from that place of hurt and pain. Looking at her beloved's cousin now, she wondered vaguely if this little girl that dressed all in dark clothes and, she heard, watched cartoons, would _ever_ be as lucky as she was and find her true love? Rickie-Lee doubted it - Emma watched things like _Dragon Ball Z_ and _Sailor Moon_. She would never be the hero of any story...she wasn't even cute, just a scrawny little thing with a scar on her throat...a little kid, not worthy of anything great...she'd been spoilt and taken care of for her whole life, and never had to suffer the way Rickie-Lee had...none of the girls in this family had...they would never understand her..._

_Clinton stepped forwards. "Here...?" He reached for his daughter, a little concerned about his cousin but more concerned about the welfare of their daughter. He himself had only just learned how to hold a child but, then again, Bella had only _just_ been born yesterday! If Emma couldn't hold a newborn, then why had she even come?_

_It was Ricki-Lee that voiced this, although she laughed a bit as she said it, and held Bella to her chest. She was a Mum, now, and Emma wasn't. Ricki-Lee had something that Emma; Sarah and Ashlee _didn't_ have...why, Emma didn't even have a boyfriend!_

_Emma sat there and didn't say anything, only letting her tears spill over when she was in the car, and on the way home..._

* * *

Present day...

"It's easy." A voice from the doorway said, and Emma turned around to see Victoria standing there, carrying a big blue teddy bear and silver and blue balloons.

"Hi, Aunty Vicky." Carly smiled.

Emma gaped, as Victoria came over and kissed Carly's forehead, before placing her gifts down on the bedside table and picking up baby Daniel calmly. Victoria walked over to Emma, and said: "Sit down." It was not a question. Emma sat in a nearby chair, and Victoria came up behind her, and placed Daniel in her arms. "Here." She said.

Emma's heart began to race, remembering the last time this had happened. "N-no, wait! Wh-what do I do?" She wanted to know, looking scared. _Oh please, oh PLEASE don't let me drop him!_ She thought, panicked. "What if I hurt him?!"

Carly glanced at Spike. "Oh, _now_ she's scared." The new parents smiled.

Victoria smiled, also, despite her student's pale face. "You _won't_. Just make sure to support his head and neck, Emma."

"H-how?" Emma asked, gulping. As Victoria helped Emma to adjust her arms, not looking worried or frustrated, Emma glanced up and caught sight of Sai, standing in the doorway to the hospital room. The blue-eyed man nodded silently, as Victoria gently pushed Emma's shoulders, making her sit back in the uncomfortable hospital chair. "L-like this?"

"Yes," Victoria said, nodding. "It's fine, Emma - it's _okay_." Her grey eyes looked into Emma's hazel ones, reassuring her.

Emma gulped again. "L-last time I d-did this...my c-cousin's girlfriend thought that I would..." She blushed. "D-drop her baby g-girl..." Emma finished, in a mutter...

Carly and her Mother exchanged a glance. Spike leaned against the other bedside table, smiling slightly. "Nobody can _drop_ a newborn, Emma."

Emma nodded. "M-maybe because he's a boy? M-maybe g-girl babies don't...like me?" She kind of liked the feeling of the newborn in her arms, although it didn't give her that warm glow. Probably because the newborn wasn't _hers_...

Carly laughed, then, a much different laugh than Rickie-Lee's. "Oh-ho, now that you've said that, you'll _definitely_ have a girl - twin girls, probably!" She and Victoria both laughed.

Emma blushed even more. "I d-don't have a boyfriend...w-well, sort of...but, he's f-faraway now and...this other guy that I've kn-known for awhile, he's...n-not talking to me..." She glanced down at Daniel, and he looked up at her with big, dark blue eyes. He seemed to be sussing her out, as Scuz peered down at him from atop Emma's head.

"Ooh, sounds like he's _jealous_!" Carly stated, and Emma's head snapped up. She stared at Carly. Carly blinked. "What? Oh, come _on_, guys are _always_ like that - lemme guess...he isn't talking to you, and he won't meet your gaze, probably because this other guy _kissed_ you, and took you out clubbing?" Carly guessed.

Emma gaped at her, her face bright red by this stage.

Carly chuckled. "Well, aren't you lucky that St. Valentine's Day is coming up?"

* * *

It was soon February twelfth, two days before the day that all lovers loved to love (in a loving way), and all sane people wanted to be done with as soon as was physically possible.

Emma stood on the bed in her room, holding a hairbrush like a microphone. She held her other hand out to Scuz, and sang, in her melodic voice: "_Sometimes, the feeling is right, you fall in love for the first time_!" She clutched at her chest. "_Heart-beat, and kisses so sweet! Summertime love in the moonli-i-ight_!" She turned her head up to the ceiling.

"Uh, what are you doing?" A voice came from her doorway, and Emma toppled off the bed in surprise. She glanced up, to see an upside-down Sari frowning at her.

Emma straightened up, sheepishly. "Oh, Sari, I...didn't hear you come in..."

"No, you were...singing too loudly?" Sari put her hands on her hips. "Okay, what's up? You're not the type to go singing love songs a few days before St. Valentine's Day..." She came into the room.

Emma sighed. "Oh, Sari, what am I going to do? I think that Prowl hates me..." She put her chin in her hands.

Sari came and sat down beside her. "Why would he?" The little eight-year-old asked.

Emma picked at her fingernails. "I think that he's...jealous..." She said, finally.

Sari shrugged. "Meh, I could've told you that...heck, _Ratchet_ could've told you - it's so _obvious_."

Emma gulped. "Really?"

Sari nodded. "Yes." She said, firmly. "It's like when I got Soundwave, and Bulkhead was all jealous because I totally ditched him."

Emma wasn't entirely sure that was the same thing, but she didn't say so.

Sari slammed one fist into her palm. "See, the thing is, Prowl feels _ditched_! He was used to being your guardian, used to being your favourite cyber-ninja! _He_ was the one that helped you out all those times, and sat by your bedside when you were in a coma. He stayed with you for pretty much the whole entire time. You know what he's like. He was _worried about_ you!"

Emma hadn't know that, and it silenced whatever she'd been about to say. _Prowl was...worried ? About...me...?_

Sari went on: "I dunno if you knew this, but he and the others overheard when you told me that Jazz kissed you." Emma gasped. Sari nodded. "Uh-huh. So much for them not finding out, aye? Prowl just needs to know that he's your favourite...he _is_ your favourite, _isn't_ he?" She glanced sideways at Emma.

Emma thought about this for a moment, before she said, quietly: "I...I never thought a guy would ever...you know..._like_ me. Nobody ever _has_..."

"Why not?" Sari wanted to know. "You're smart; funny; pretty and fun, even if you _are_ a bit shy and a bossy know-it-all."

Emma glared at her. "You just _had_ to add those two last parts on, didn't you?"

"Look, the point is, you need to do something to make Prowl realise that you still care about him!" Sari said quickly. "You two are _so_ cute together!I know - what if on St. Valentine's Day, you and Prowl go out together on patrol! You can tell him then!" She jumped up. "I'll go and tell Optimus Prime!" She hurried off, before Emma could protest.

Emma blinked, and then glanced at Scuz-Bag. "What...just happened? Did I...just get...set up?"

* * *

She had. Two days later, she found herself sitting astride the black motorcycle, wearing a new pair of tight black jeans and a silver halter-neck top, and black gloves. She was glad that her face was hidden by a black helmet, as she and Prowl cruised the streets of Detroit, because she was _sure_ that it was either blushing or pale. This was the most uncomfortable that she had ever felt. Whether it was because Prowl was jealous, or because he knew that Jazz had kissed her, Emma knew not.

Prowl stopped on the side of a street, and said: "We'll proceed on foot from here."

Emma nodded and dismounted, and Prowl transformed, before assuming his holoform and walking towards one of the streets that should have been called Cafe Street. Everywhere you looked, you could see couples enjoying romantic, candlelit dinners together, holding hands and drinking red wine. Emma stopped to look at a couple that were sitting on a bench. The man was big and wore a trench-coat, and the woman was equally as big and also wore a trench-coat - they made the perfect couple. It made Emma feel sad, thinking how perfect lovers were together, and that she might never get to experience that. She was the only single person left in the family, the only virgin, the only one that hadn't brought her partner over for Christmas lunch yet...

Emma also spotted Victoria and Sai, and she sighed. Everybody here was a happy couple...except for her and Prowl. They weren't happy and they weren't a couple...

Prowl turned around, to see that Emma had stopped, and coughed.

Emma glanced up at him and, for a moment, their eyes met.

Prowl felt that familiar electric shock go through him, but it was tinged with bitterness, especially when he caught the hurt look in Emma's eyes when he turned away. She'd made her decision, and he had to honor that, even if it killed him inside.

"Emma, hurry up." Prowl said stiffly, turning and walking away from her. "Don't slow me down." He added.

"Oh..." Emma raised a hand, staring at Prowl's retreating back. "So, that's how it is...hey Prowl, wait!" She hurried to catch up with him.

The trench-coat-wearing couple watched the two troubled Autobots with glowing red eyes.

"Strika?" Lugnut said quietly.

"I know." Strika muttered, in her heavy, Russian voice. She was only visiting earth - she had arrived completely by chance, but would have to leave after gaining to information that she was required to distribute to other Decepticons. Meanwhile, she was helping with this particular mission. Her holoform had short, closely-cropped blonde hair, and wore combat clothes similar to her spark-partner's. "It is an honor to serve our great leader, Megatron, and what better way to do so than by destroying a beautiful couple on the very day the humans worship _love_..."

* * *

Prowl stopped walking, allowing Emma to catch up to him.

Together, the two of them stared up at the restaurant they had just encountered.

Mama Fuyano's...

"How...did we end up back here?" Emma wanted to know.

"I have no idea..." Prowl replied.

"Ha!" Emma said suddenly. "I got you to acknowledge my existence!" She declared, pointing at him.

Prowl raised an eyebrow, glancing at her pointing finger and then at her.

Emma looked back at him, biting her lip and hardly daring to breathe.

Just then, the scary Asian lady, Mama Fuyano herself, leapt out at them from the shop-front.

"Ahh!" Emma and Prowl both exclaimed, grabbing each others hands despite themselves.

"You two come in!" Mama Fuyano sounded slightly angry, as she got behind them and pushed them both into her restaurant. "We also run fortune-telling service as special February deal! Today only! In! In!"

* * *

Prowl and Emma soon sat side-by-side on cushions, eating Smithers Chips Ahoy from a bowl and waiting for Mama Fuyano to come into the room, which looked like something right out of a movie. Emma and Prowl looked all around - at the cards on the table; at the table itself; at the curtains hanging around the small room...in fact, they looked everywhere but at each other.

Mama Fuyano saw all of this as she came in, and knelt on the other side of the table.

"Welcome," she said, formally, taking away the bowl of chips and slapping at Emma's hand when she reached for one last one. "Towel?" She offered a handful of colourful towels to Emma and Prowl.

"Thank you." They both said, automatically, and Emma reached, before waiting until Prowl had taken one of the towels before choosing hers.

"I see," Mama Fuyano said, and both Emma and Prowl froze. "You," he looked at Emma. "Are dominant girl by bloodline, but choose more submissive approach for fear of hurting other." As Emma gaped at her, she turned to Prowl and added: "You are used to being by yourself, and doing things for yourself. Like her, you know this." She nodded, and folded her hands. "You," she continued talking to Prowl. "Chose yellow towel. Is comforting colour that warms heart and soul. You know those like this."

Emma and prowl sat back, both of them thinking about a certain yellow bot and a little red-haired girl...

"You need to exert influence and express yourself!" Mama Fuyano told Prowl. "Need to open up intuition and listen to inner voice that guide you towards the light," she took the towel from him. "Like this radiant yellow! Only good things come from warm heart." She reached out and took the pink towel from Emma. "You in need of tenderness and delicacy. Develop artistic sense. Imagine antelope run gracefully, and look into this delicate soft pink, representing your sensitivity and aesthetic needs."

Emma and Prowl were both too stunned to say anything by this stage. They just watched as Mama Fuyano shuffled the cards on the table, and then told Prowl to pick three.

He did, feeling slightly unsettled.

"Ask self simple question." Mama Fuyano said. "No need tell what is. Keep in head."

Prowl nodded.

Mama Fuyano examined the cards.

"Wall Card,' she said, turning the card face-side-up on the table, to reveal the brick-wall artwork. "Is symbolic of holding back, but always there is opportunity to break through walls we may build around our hearts."

_Does she mean that Prowl keeps putting up walls, or is it me?_ Emma wondered.

"Both!" Mama Fuyano snapped, and Emma flinched.

Mama Fuyano turned around the next card. "Butterfly. Simple one - symbolize change and transformation. Change must be made to achieve newer things."

Prowl nodded, understanding part of the point.

Mama Fuyano turned over the last card. "Uroboros." She said.

"What?" Emma and Prowl asked in unison.

"Snake swallows tail!" Mama Fuyano snapped, brandishing the card with the very symbol on. "Sometimes dragon, though is less common! Means energy is endless, and ability to manipulate energy is key! Understanding that rebirth occur in each moment! That is source of power! Power everywhere! _Everywhere_!"

"Okay!" Emma and Prowl both exclaimed.

Mama Fuyano extended the fan of cards to Emma and, after a quick glance at Prowl, Emma selected three.

Mama Fuyano revealed the cards.

"Lobster." She said, and Emma stared at the pinkish-purple pincer-adorned shellfish. "Mean hidden psychic power, but have hard exoskeleton, meaning armor that protect the tender beauty."

Emma blushed. Prowl looked thoughtful.

Mama Fuyano turned over the next card. "Shield. Is card called Empress, abide by one motto - From love I do come, from love I do go. She know we go into situation with shield of love, as should all know. Always protected. When shield is of _true_ love, shield is emblem of love, Venus. love require vulnerability." She looked piercingly at Emma, and Emma felt tears come to her eyes, pricking at the backs of them.

Mama Fuyano turned over the final card. "Water." She said. "Is symbol of emotion. Means purity and rebirth. Symbolizes femininity, and love and compassion. Means love rebirth..." She examined Emma and Prowl carefully. "Love know no bounds - love between two _never_ forget, and know when other is present. Is feeling of _wholesome_, and _always_ is there..." She suddenly held the cards out to Emma and Prowl again. "Choose last card, together..."

Emma and Prowl exchanged a glance, and then together reached out and chose the card directly in the middle of the fan.

Mama Fuyano nodded to herself, and turned over the card, not looking at it.

"Angel." she said, simply knowing the card that depicted a beautiful winged-woman. "Is depicted by three forms. Nudity, meaning trust and love, and no secrets." Emma blushed. "Lily, is innocence and vulnerability. And, lastly, eye-contact..."

Emma suddenly stood up, and ran from the room without a word. Tears were streaming down her face.

Prowl went to stand up and follow her, but Mama Fuyano grabbed his arm. Her dark eyes had a fierce look about them. "You, you _know_ her! You know her more than her physical appearance let on! She not what she appear to be - you _know_ feeling you get from looking at her, from _touching_ her, from being in close proximity to her! You hurt, but she hurt by _you_! Not your fault, not her fault, not other man's fault - just need to learn to accept!"

Prowl didn't say anything.

Mama Fuyano clasped his arm, her fingernails digging into Prowl's skin. "Love like yours know no bounds! Of the _spark_..."

Suddenly, Emma's scream pierced the air and, without a moment's hesitation, Prowl ran out of the room...

* * *

Emma stared up at Lugnut, whom she knew, and the large Decepticon next to him. She didn't recognize the stranger, but thought that she might be Strika, the femme Decepticon that she had read about on the internet back home.

They were both leering down at her, and she could only stand there, as the two huge Decepticons confronted her. She had screamed once, out of fear, but now she was frozen. The purple femme Strika was a terrifying new foe, and why was she here, anyway?

"Now, come with us quietly." Strika had a Russian accent, though it lacked the cuteness that Emma imagined the Jet-Twins would have. "And, we will not hurt that cyber-ninja neck you are with."

Emma clenched her fists.

"Oh, _how_ can you not _remember_ us, Angel?!" Lugnut wailed. "Our glorious leader Megatron knows of your suffering!"

"What suffering?!" Emma cried. "There's no suffering - _you_ guys are in the wrong!"

"Our glorious leader Megatron is _not_ in the wrong!" Lugnut yelled. "The cursed Autobots _wrongly_ accused Megatron for a crime that he did not commit, turning their backs on him and labeling him a traitor!"

_Angel...I truly am sorry...I will make sure that...they will pay, for what you've been through..._

Emma froze again. "W-wait...n-no, that can't be...no...how..." _What if it's true? What if...something's wrong with this picture...?_ Emma gulped. "If...if, I go with you...you have to promise me that you won't hurt Prowl!" She looked up at Lugnut, her heart hammering in her chest and, suddenly, she felt a warm glow within her chest. She looked around quickly. _An All-Spark Fragment?_

Just then, Prowl came flying out of nowhere, in his robot-mode, and grabbed her, transforming swiftly so that she found herself sitting on his alt mode as he sped away from the Decepticons.

"_After them_!" Lugnut bellowed.

Emma clung to the black motorcycle, seeing that the speedo-meter was already well above one hundred, as they turned onto the street named Contrite Street.

"Emma!" Prowl's voice called over the roar of his engine. "Under _no_ circumstances are you to hand yourself over to the Decepticons!"

"But, what if _you_ get hurt, Prowl?!" Emma shouted. Her heart hammered in her chest some more. "I'd never forgive myself if that happened and I could have prevented it!"

"Would you...feel a lot worse if it were Jazz?" Prowl asked quietly, but she heard him perfectly.

A chill of ice ran down her spine. "Th-that's beside the point!" She protested, and felt the motorcycle's engine growl slightly in response. "What?!" She cried, just as a missile arced over their heads, and Prowl slammed on the brakes.

They watched in horror as the missile hit a nearby cluster of buildings, which burst into flames.

As Prowl and Emma stopped, people began pouring from the building, screaming in terror as flames quickly enveloped it. It was an apartment complex that had a lot of family's with young children in it - Emma's heart ached as she watched a three year old girl screaming for her Mummy, and a young Japanese Mother clutched her baby boy to her chest, as blood streamed down her face where she'd been hit by a piece of concrete.

She then began looking around wildly. "_Sakura_?!" She screamed, her dark eyes frantic. She looked up at the glow of fifth-story window, and let out an anguished screech. "_Sakura_!" She grabbed the nearest person, that Emma recognized with a start to be Victoria. Sai was nearby, silently helping victims.

"_Daijoubu ka_?!" Victoria said sharply.

"_Watashi no musume wa soko ni aru_!" The woman screamed, pointing at the second window on the right of the fifth floor of building, which was now almost completely engulfed with flames.

Emma gasped. "Her daughter's still in the building!" She yelled, jumping off of Prowl and running past groups of people with astonishing speed. She entered the burning building through the front entrance.

Prowl transformed quickly. "Emma, no!" He shouted, just as Lugnut transformed, placing himself between Prowl and Emma.

"Not so fast, Autobot!" Lugnut bellowed.

People began screaming, yelling that it was a Decepticon.

Prowl clenched his fists. His spark was half cold with dread, and half filled with a fiery rage at the Decepticon that was standing in front of him...

He quickly sent a message to the other Autobots, just as Strika attacked him from behind...

* * *

Emma ran through the front door of the building, and immediately began coughing due to the smoke. She quickly took off her halter top and tied it around her face, to filter the air-flow slightly.

There was a section of the ground floor already on fire, and it was spreading quickly.

A young man ran up to her, looking terrified. "You're going the wrong way!" He screamed.

"Get out!" Emma coughed, and he ran past her. Emma, meanwhile, with more fear than she had ever felt in her life, ran towards the stairs, mentally trying to piece together the layout of the unfamiliar building, and counting in her head where the Japanese woman had been pointing to. The smoke was already affecting her eyes, making them water, and it entered her lungs as well, even with the makeshift face-mask she had created with her top.

She stopped on the third floor suddenly, and stood there, as the smoke billowed around her. A man was teetering at the top of the staircase and, as Emma stared at him, he fell through the smoke towards her. She side-stepped, and he fell past her. As he whooshed past her, she caught a glimpse of his face - half of it had been burnt off, like Edward Newgate in One Piece, and there was even a gaping hole in the man's stomach.

Emma heard the man's scream as she half-turned, and watched as he crashed into the inferno below them.

Her hands shook. Her breathing, already raptured, now seemed to cease completely. She leaned against the hot wood behind her, seeming oblivious to it's heat. She was frozen, despite the inferno that was approaching her from all sides...

* * *

On the Elite Guard Flagship, that was slowly making its way through space and back towards Cybertron, Jazz had silently had enough of Sentinel's bragging about the time he'd single-servodly fought off over six thousand organic spiders that spat armor-melting venom.

He quietly slipped out of the deck, and walked down the halls, towards where their prisoner, Starscream, was.

Starscream glared at Jazz from behind the glass, and said something that Jazz could not hear.

Jazz was not paying attention to that, however. He had just noticed something very important - a piece of silver material, draped over Starscream's left shoulder.

It was the scarf that Emma had been wearing the day they'd captured Starscream!

Jazz stared at the scarf, and then back up at Starscream.

He was thinking about Emma...the human femme he had met on earth, the one that he couldn't stay away from...there was just something about her that _drew_ him towards her, something that gave him more than enough reason to do _anything_. She was a little bit shy, it was true, but Jazz had seen a side of her that nobody had ever seen before - the fun-loving, spirited side. He had helped her to release it, to come out of her shell a little bit, and let down some of her walls.

The side that was willing to risk anything for her friends - she had told him that Charlie had been planning to make the lives of Sari and the Autobots a living Hell if Emma hadn't won that contest.

Emma had surprised Jazz with her performance, her beautiful voice and, Jazz had to admit, some of those moves of hers had been downright _sexy_. She made Jazz's spark feel whole, the way it hadn't in a long, long time. There was also something..._familiar_, about her, and he knew that it had something to do with the All-Spark. He was secretly very happy with his Commander's decision to let Emma continue her possession of the All-Spark, and he only wished he could have stayed with her and helped her...

Jazz glanced down at the scarf again, and then back up at Starscream. His cool blue viz-optics met the Decepticon's burning red optics. Starscream spoke again and, this time, Jazz heard him loud and clear: "Don't you _dare_ Autobot!"

"You sayin' you gonna _keep_ it?" Jazz stared coolly at Starscream, and the Decepticon didn't answer, but there was a fierce look in his optics. "You jivin' me, 'Con?" Jazz crossed his arms. "Your kind don't dig no humans, yeah?"

"Don't you _dare_ call her a human, you pathetic Autobot!" Starscream shouted suddenly, and the sudden outburst would have surprised anybot but Jazz. "She is _more_ than you could _ever_ comprehend, and it is all _your_ fault that she-" He broke off suddenly, freezing as a sudden wave of fear shot through him.

Jazz staggered backwards at the exact same time, feeling the _exact_ same feeling yet neither of them knew that the other was experiencing it. They both felt a sense of fear and horrification that seemed to be coming from outside and, yet, both of them felt it coming from _within_, as well...

Jazz held a hand to his head, and Starscream groaned in seeming pain, just as Sentinel and Ultra Magnus hurried into the prison bay.

"Jazz!" Ultra Magnus called, hurrying to the white cyber-ninja's side immediately. "What is it?"

"I..." Jazz still felt the overwhelming sense of fear that was not his own, and yet it affected him in every way possible. He knew what it was, he knew why this was happening. "I got _major_ bad vibes, from earth! Somethin' bad's goin' down on earth, and Emma's involved!"

Sentinel gaped openly.

Ultra Magnus' aqua optics widened ever-so-slightly, and he turned without a word and hurried back to the deck. Sentinel blinked, and then helped Jazz to stand up, before the two of them followed in their Commander's wake, leaving Starscream by himself, with that same terrified feeling that Jazz was getting...

* * *

Optimus swung his axe, but Strika was good - she managed to dodge it swiftly, despite her bulk. She fired at him. Her firepower was incredible, and Optimus only just managed to dodge in time, as Bulkhead showed up to help. Meanwhile, Prowl; Bumblebee and Ratchet were fighting against Lugnut.

It was no wonder why Strika was considered Megatron's General Of Destruction - there was _plenty_ of that happening all around them...the screams...the chaos...the fear...

Optimus was fighting with all his strength to try and put a stop to this!

He suddenly got a call through his com-link and, pausing briefly behind a brick wall, he answered it. "Yes?"

"Prime?" It was Sari - she was staying back at the base tonight, out of harm's way after they'd stopped these illegal street-races and found an All-Spark Fragment. They'd gotten the call from Prowl, at the same time as they'd gotten a call that a building had been bombed. It was _not_ how they'd envisioned this strange human holiday on February fourteenth.  
"Sari, what's wrong?" Optimus asked her, cringing as one of Strika's missiles hit a nearby (thankfully, abandoned) building.

"The Elite Guard is on the other line!" Sari told him, sounding slightly worried. "They want to know what's going on!"

"How do they...?" Optimus sighed in frustration. "Can you patch me through to them?"

"Not without disconnecting more wires from the back of the monitor!" Sari informed him.

Optimus' optics widened. "Sari, do _not_ disconnect those wires!" Bumblebee had nearly gotten electrocuted a few days back, and humans tended to be less durable than robots. Optimus tried not to picture Sari the way human cartoons portrayed electrocution victims, as nothing more than a skeleton on a black background. "Just...can you tell the Elite Guard that we're battling a couple of Decepticons right now, but that everything's fine?" Okay, so it was _half_ lying...the situation was just _barely_ under control, if you called chaos under control...

Optimus heard Sari repeat this to the Elite Guard, on the other communications line. Then, she said to him: "They want to know which ones."

Optimus told her, and Sari relayed this information, just as a man on fire ran past, screaming. As Optimus doused him, and hoped to Primus that Sari had not overheard that, she came back onto the line.

"Jazz is asking where Emma is!" Sari said.

Optimus closed his optics briefly. How could he say this with Sari listening? He glanced towards the building. As he watched, a window exploded, and people screamed. The building was utterly engulfed in flames. How could anybody survive in there?

"Prime?" Sari pressed.

Optimus opened his optics, and sighed. "Tell...tell Jazz that...Emma's fine..."

Sari relayed this new piece of information, and then said: "He says he ain't buying it, which I guess means that he doesn't believe you...Prime, what's happening?! The news says it's really bad!" She must have had the TV on at the same time. It was a good thing that they didn't have to pay electrical bills.

Optimus groaned. There was something familiar about Jazz's concern...about his _knowledge_...Optimus suddenly got a strike of fear within his spark, the memory of a time when he'd _known_ that the one he loved was in danger...

Optimus' optics widened in realisation. He knew what Jazz was going through...the reason he knew...the reason he cared...

He sighed. "Sari, tell Jazz...tell him that...Emma ran into a burning building to save a human youngling..." He said quietly.

Sari gasped. "What?!"

"Tell him!" Optimus said.

Sari did so.

There was a long silence, and then Sari whispered: "Ultra Magnus wants to know...about the All-Spark? Is it...?"

Optimus suddenly gasped, as a big purple face adorned with red-optics suddenly appeared before him. "Found you, Autobot!" Strika aimed a cannon at him.

"Strika!" Optimus yelled, just as the blasts sent him flying backwards.

"Prime?!" Sari screamed, but her voice was blurred and static-y.

Optimus felt himself blacking out, but then a scream sounded in the hollows of his mind...screams he knew from long ago...he'd lost his spark-partner, and now...Jazz was about to lose his...

* * *

Inside the burning building, Emma shuddered, and felt flames lick at the sides of her left shoulder. She couldn't move and, for a second, she could only picture death, and the endless darkness that accompanied it. Was that what the man she'd just seen was now facing?

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm, and dragged her, and she was still too frozen to react. Through the smoke that swirled around them both, she saw a man...but...did she know him?

She was suddenly too weak to know, too tired to care...

He dragged her up a few flights of stairs (how many...did she know?), and then suddenly turned around to face her, cupping her face in his hands. She stared up at him, into a pair of fierce and intense and _familiar_ blue eyes...  
"Sai?" Emma gasped, and then coughed - her face-mask had fallen off. Damn it, she had liked that top, too...

She staggered, and Sai took her in his arms. His spark pounded, but he was calm - he was _always_ calm, he'd get her out of this, because he was also too damn good to let her die like this...

A figure suddenly appeared beside them. He was a little bit taller than her, but not by much. He wore blue jeans and a blue jacket with darker blue stripes down the sleeves. His hair and eyes wire blue as well.

""There's-an-organic-femme-trapped-in-the-room-over-there!" The man said, pointing to a door which was on fire. "She's-still-alive-but-for-how-much-longer-if-we-can't-get-to-her?!"

The fast way that he was talking...it _couldn't_ be...?

Blurr looked at Sai. "Sideswipe-what-should-we-do?!"

Sideswipe?!

Emma looked up at Sai, and he looked down at her. The mech that had been hiding out on earth for Primus knows how long stared back at her, his blue eyes giving nothing away. Emma couldn't believe it - he'd been a Transformer, and she hadn't know it? _Nobody_ had known it?!

_I'm scared..._ Emma realised and, for some reason, she thought of Prowl fighting back where she had left him. Lugnut was bad enough, but Strika? Why was she even _here_?! Emma was shaking. _I'm scared...Primus, help me..._

All at once, a calming feeling came over here, one that crashed onto her like aves at the sea but, instead of trying to drown her, they merely enveloped her, filling every sense of her being and calming her down instantly.

Images filled her mind, of those that cared about her and were worried...but, how did they know?

An image of Prowl came to her...he was _fighting_ for her and...he was _worried_, no _scared_...

Because of her...

Emma held out a weary hand and, as she did, a blue light surrounded her; Blurr and Sai. Neither of the two mechs seemed surprised, as the light surrounded them and filled all three of them with the coolness that didn't seem to fit in with the inferno outside of their bubble. Sai walked, carrying Emma, as Blurr followed.

_So-this-is-the-power-of-the-All-Spark?!_ Blurr thought, unable to believe that the power that had controlled his very few cycles ago was now helping to rescue an organic youngling.

Blurr kicked down the door, and the blue All-Spark bubble compressed as they squeezed through the doorway.

The little Japanese girl, Sakura, was coughing and sobbing. Her bedroom was not entirely covered in flames, but they were close - there was not much time left!

She looked up, her face pink and soot covering her arms and nightgown. She coughed. "_Tasukeru_!" She screamed, not even able to cry, as she coughed again. "_Onegai t-tasukeru_!" She half got up and half staggered, and clawed at the wall behind her. "_Kaasan_! _KAASAN_!" She was scared, and wanted her Mamma.

Emma struggled, wanting Sai to put her down, and he did, and she ran through the flames to the little girl, with Sai and Blurr close behind her.

"_S-Sak-kura_!" Emma called, coughing, as the blue light enveloped the little girl and she froze, the calmness of the All-Spark washing over her. Emma reached her, and threw her arms around the little girl, as both of them coughed in unison.

"_K-kowaku mētoru_!" Sakura cried. She was still scared.

"It's alright!" Emma told her, in English, as Blurr and Sai exchanged a glance. As the two mechs spoke through a mental communication that Sai (Sideswipe) had not known for a long time, a communication with a fellow Autobot. "_Daijoubu, daijoubu, daijoubu kiseki datte okoseru... Here we go ikou yo ikou yo ikou yo ,tsubasa hiroge , kitto nani ka ga nani ka ga doko ka de , deaeru hi o matteru , DO! DO! DO! DREAMING! DREAMING! , soshite tobira ga hiraku yo..._..." As she sang, and Sakura threw her arms around Emma, the glowing necklace that she was wearing glowed even brighter and was absorbed into Emma's chest.

Neither of them noticed this, however, as exhaustion took them over. Sai and Blurr exchanged a glance, knowing that they had only seconds left. Both of them transformed into their robot forms. The blue Autobot stared in awe at the silver Autobot that had been lost to them for so many years and, for some reason, had decided to remain on this planet and hide his true identity. Ah, but _why_?

The two mechs nodded, and Blurr used his shield to blast a hole in the wall. Sai grabbed Emma, whom had Sakura safely in her arms, and leapt through the hole with Blurr, a _second _before the flames engulfed the building, and the entire structure exploded.

* * *

Emma awoke to find the anxious faces of the ones that loved her staring at her, for the third time ever.

_Oh no, I did this to them again..._ Emma thought, and then she sat up, fast.

"Whoa!" Bumblebee (in his holoform, like the others) and Sari leapt back.

Bulkhead looked startled, and Optimus cringed.

Ratchet looked gruff. "Sit back down, kid!" He told her.

Emma looked around, almost wildly. "The building?! Sakura?! The...what happened?!" She wailed, breathing heavily. "Where's...?!" She blinked a few times.

"Emma, calm down." A voice said from nearby, and Emma looked over to see Prowl. He was leaning against a wall, arms crossed, and not looking at her. "Sakura is fine, her Mother wants to give you all their remaining assets, the building is destroyed but was insured, and the Decepticons retreated after two new Autobots showed up, but we don't know where they went..."

"_Prowl_!" Emma fairly shrieked, and he looked at her, startled, as did everybody else.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she swung her legs over the side of her bed, pushing everybody aside and running to Prowl.

Something connected the two of them, then, and he opened his arms to her, and she ran to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt the exhaustion from her body, and the need to be comforted, as well as...the ned to comfort _him_.

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, her voice muffled by his chest. It was the most emotional they had _ever_ seen her. "I'm sorry for making you worry! I _need_ you! I need you to _not_ push me away!" She had refused to ever make herself this emotional before, to be this vulnerable in front of others. It was how she'd gotten hurt, and how she'd become the way she had. But, if they hurt her now, right when she had her heart open, then what were they worth? She _wanted_ to believe that they were worth it, that they were worth everything her heart...and spark...were telling her. "Don't leave me...I'm sorry...don't go..."

Something within the All-Spark sparked a piece of her memory, again. _Prowl will come back, won't he, Master Yoketron? What is he searching for, anyways?_

"Aww..." Sari whispered.

"Bedtime." Bulkhead said automatically.

"Aww..." She was complaining, now.

Emma was vaguely aware of the others leaving, and of Prowl helping her back to her bed.

He sat by her side as she curled up under the covers, and he stroked the hair on her forehead and muttered: "Just don't..._ever_ scare me like that again...even the Elite Guard called...they knew, too...Jazz...knew..."

Emma nodded into her pillow. "Prowl...I want you to kn-know..." She broke off, burying her face even deeper into the pillow.

Prowl was patient, and waited.

Emma eventually said: "J-Jazz kissed _me_, not the other way around...I don't even know...anything _about_...that s-sort of thing...at a-all..."

Prowl noticed that Emma stammered whenever she was meeting new people, or when she was nervous. He also knew, however, that bearing her feelings to him was a big step for her, and that she was scared.

Emma reached up to her neck, and felt the cool metal of her Autobot pendant, over her Decepticon pendant. A sudden image of Jazz and Starscream entered her mind, and confused her. She felt Scuz-bag nudge her left ear, and carefully nuzzle up against her. "P-Prowl...you won't leave, ever...will you...?"

Prowl was silent for a moment, before he muttered: "Emma, don't worry...I promise you that...I...never will...I won't ever leave you, no matter what..."

A tiny spark of hope filled both their beings, giving them a feeling of...warmth...

_He is searching for something...that was here all along...do not worry...in time...he will know of this, and come back...after all, if you love something, then to let it go and have it come back means that it is yours..._


	14. First Blood

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level animated violence

. Mild level adult themes

* * *

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

First Blood

* * *

"Okay, so three times eight?"

"Twenty-seven."

Emma nodded. "Very good. Nine times seven?"

"Sixty-three." Sari replied, promptly.

"Eight times six?"

"Forty-eight."

"Excellent. Five hundred times nine thousand and eighty one?"

"Four million five hundred and forty five thousand."

"...I'm gonna have to take your word for that, yeah?" Emma checked her watch, and then stood up. "Okay, lesson's are officially over for today, kiddo."

"Yay!" Sari cheered, throwing her computer tablet into the air. It landed on her bed, startling Scuz, who curled up. Then, Sari looked suspiciously at Emma. "But, it's only one o'clock, where are you..._ohhhh_..." She said suddenly, understanding. "You're going to go on a date with Prowl, am I right?"

Emma blushed brilliantly. "It is _not_ a date, Sari - we're just going out on patrol together, that's all..." She rubbed at the side of her arm in embarrassment.

"_Suuure_ you are," Sari grinned. "Like, when you two were playing fetch with the Dino-Bots last week? Or, sneaking off to some remote part of the woods for some _alone_ time, or is that when you two watched that nature documentary marathon on Sunday? Oh, and Bee and I also saw you two at the Burger Bot yesterday..."

Emma was bright red by this stage.

"They were also walking hand-in-hand at the park a few days ago!" Bumblebee added, coming into Sari's room, laughing. "They also went to the zoo on Tuesday!"

Sari laughed, too. "Sounds like a date to me!" The two of them fist-bumped.

Emma tilted her chin up, and said: "Oh, but that's not anything at all. Not like going rollerblading at the park and getting ice-cream, or playing video games until three in the morning, or...or..."

"Or going to that outdoor rock concert in the park last weekend?" Prowl leaned against the doorframe, arms folded. "A certain yellow bot and a red-haired girl were dancing together _all_ afternoon..." He smiled, as Bumblebee and Sari gaped at him.

Emma grinned, and didn't have to say thank you. Prowl already knew. He could read it in her mind, somehow...

Prowl turned his smile to Emma. "Ready to go?" He asked her.

She nodded, just as her phone rang, and she answered it. "Hello? Oh, hi Victoria...what, where?" The others watched as Emma froze, and then she nodded. "We're on our way!" She hung up and looked up at Prowl. "Jewelry store in the city got a shipment of diamond in, but those diamonds just happen to be Fragments of the you-know-what...oh, and there's a big purple and aqua jet heading towards there."

"How did Lugnut know about the Fragments?!" Bumblebee asked, as they sped out of the base.

"More to the point...how did _Victoria_ know?" Prowl mused, and felt when Emma tensed up suddenly. _Hmm..._ Prowl thought, but didn't press the subject any further...

* * *

_Last week sometime..._

_Emma sat expectantly on the stairs of the back patio of Victoria's mansion-house. Victoria herself sat on a nearby swing-chair, along with her blue-eyed consort. He was known on earth as Sai, except Emma now knew the truth about him._

_He was the mech, Sideswipe._

_"It was you, in the woods that day, that caught me when I fell off of the cliff, wasn't it?" Emma looked at Sai. She just couldn't refer to him as anything else. And, he had teamed up with Blurr to help Emma to save Sakura from the fire started by Lugnut and the surprise visitor Strika - they were popping up all over the place!_

_Sai nodded. He never spoke._

_Emma glanced at Victoria, questioningly._

_Victoria sighed. "Sideswipe or, Sai, as he prefers to be called," she took his hand. "Is an Autobot, as I am sure you can tell. He has been hiding here on earth in plain sight for hundreds of years."_

_Emma gasped. "S-so long?" She gulped. "So, your family...?" She was starting to piece things together, slowly._

_Victoria nodded. "Though they decided not to approach the concept as much as Isaac Sumdac did, my Great-Grandfather _did_ establish his empire based on the technology of the Cybertronians. Sai formed a strong alliance and friendship with my Great-Grandfather, as he did with my Grandfather and my Father, and then with me." She smiled at Sai, and he smiled back at her._

_It didn't take a genius to figure _that_ out._

_"S-so, you've been here all along, S-Sai," Emma looked at him - his blue eyes were so calm, but there was an underlying hint that made Emma think of the song _I Am The Best_, by 2NE1. Years of staying undercover on earth had made him calmer and wiser, but Emma wondered if he was still that mischievous young bot on the inside, and where was Sunstreaker? "H-how did you manage to stay hidden from the Autobots?"_

_Victoria and Sai didn't exchange a glance, but they might as well have - there was a deep and spiritual bond that was ever present between the two of them. Emma wondered about this, and a thought came to her mind - spark-partners._

_"There are many methods for avoiding detection from energy-signature scanners." Victoria said gently, as Sai reached under his shirt and pulled out a strange-looking necklace made of something black that seemed to have a mechanical-device fitted into it. "This is pure carbon deposits, combined with a..."_

_"Signal dampener." Emma breathed. "Carbon deposits...that must be what the..." She broke off suddenly - nobody was supposed to know about that, yet. She looked at Sai. "But, why? Why hide from your own kind? And, how do you know Circuit-Su? Where's Sun...?" She broke off suddenly, seeing a flash of pain in the mech's blue eyes. "Oh...I'm s-sorry..." Her hand flew to her throat, and she looked away. "Sorry..." _Did...Sunstreaker...die?! _Emma glanced at Sai. "Was it...the Decepticons?" She wanted to know, in a small voice._

_Sai looked away from her, and shook his head._

_Emma just stared at him..._

* * *

Present day...

Prowl; Emma; Sari and Bumblebee all crashed out on the couch that night. They were exhausted - it had taken them seven hours to find all of the All-Spark Fragments, including one that a very rich lady had _refused_ to give up, until Emma had absorbed it and the lady run off screaming.

However, unlike the rest of the Fragments, it took these ones awhile to kick in with the visions.

Emma leaned against Prowl's shoulder as Sari dozed with her head on Emma's lap, and Bumblebee flicked through TV stations.

Emma felt her eyelids begin to close, as Bumblebee muttered: "News; news; ad; news; emergency broadcast for Pennsylvania; infomercial; ad; ad; ad; ad; uprising in Syria; ad; cartoon; ad ...ooh, an old vampire movie, sounds cool..."

* * *

_Emma was walking along a corridor that looked like it belonged in an old castle. There was something very...familiar about it, and yet it seemed odd, somehow. Like it didn't belong. Curtains blew out in front of her, even though there was no breeze coming from the broken floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of her. She was wearing a white, ankle-length dress that didn't have any sleeves, and she was barefoot. She walked on the plush red carpet of the castle, looking out at the grey sky and the dark trees as she walked, unsure of where she was going._

_She was dreaming, yes, but all of her senses were alight, and _that_ could only be a bad thing..._

_She turned left at a T-Junction, and kept going. As she walked, candles blew out from the non-existent breeze, and she began to feel slightly panicked. Something bad was about to happen, she knew that much. She pushed through a big heavy wooden door, and came to a long corridor with floor-to-ceiling windows on the left, and paintings hanging up on the right._

_Emma read the names as she passed. All of them were of Transformers, and all of them were femmes._

_Accolade; Alita; Andromeda; Aztec; Arietty; Anina; Amity...all of them were coloured brightly and seemed to have an animal feel about them, but perhaps the strangest thing was...Emma felt like she _knew_ them, or at least that they were familiar to her, somehow._

_The second last portrait was of a blue femme with violet-optics. Her look made Emma think of a sphinx and, when she read the name out, a feeling of both warmth and sadness washed over her._

_"Alythia..." Emma whispered, feeling unexplained tears coming to her eyes. She reached out a shaking hand, and was about to touch the portrait, when two candles on either side of the last portrait suddenly caught alight, bathing the entire scene in an eerie light._

_Emma walked over to the last painting, and stared at it._

_"Angel..." She read the name on the plaque, her skin feeling cold all of a sudden. "That's...Angel..." The painting was of a pretty silver femme with yellow-optics and big wings._

_Angel was mainly a silvery-grey colouring, with a black torso and what appeared to be a skirt. There was a shining aqua-blue orb adorning her forehead, and what looked like a royal headdress there as well. Her wings really were impressive, however - they resembled bird's wings, or maybe angel's wings. There was so much familiarity in the image that, for some reason, Emma turned around, and looked at her reflection in the window._

_There she stood, in a perfect mirror-image of the painting she had just looked at. She looked down at her hands, which were now bigger and grey and robot-like._

_She looked back up at herself, her spark thundering in her chest, and the glass suddenly shattered._

_Shadows swarmed out of the darkness towards her, and heard long, drawn out screaming, screaming her name..._

_"Angel...Angel...come to us...!"_

_"No!" She screamed, turning and running, but her own shadows on the floor beneath her moved up like waves, enveloping her. "No!"_

_A cold, deep, eerily-polite voice seemed to come from all around her, it was a girl's voice. "Don't fight it...you are...his darling..." A pair of razor-sharp claws stroked the side of her face, and she shuddered..._

* * *

Prowl had been watching the movie after Emma fell asleep, and Bumblebee and Sari went to bed (Bumblebee practically had to carry Sari into her room, and Prowl smiled about this).

Now, however, between the strangely violent horror film from the 1950's, and the strange vibes that he was getting from Emma, Prowl was starting to feel on edge...

He felt it when Emma's skin got colder, and sensed the panic and fear that invaded her subconscious. He was just about to wake her, when he saw a shadow move at the back of the TV, and a cold and eerie feeling filled the air as the power went out.

Prowl was instantly on-guard, setting Emma down on the couch and standing protectively in front of her.

He looked around swiftly without seeming too obvious, and his keen eyes picked up on moving shadows in the dim emergency-lighting around the base...

"What are you?" He asked quietly.

"Darling..." A voice whispered from all around him. "You do not know, do you...?" The voice was feminine, and had a slight accent...Prowl struggled to place it, and then recognized it from the movie - Transylvanian. "We are Vampires, of course!"

Creepy animal-like cackles came from the shadows, and Prowl saw, out of the corner of his eyes, strange and eery shadow-puppets dancing on the walls.

"Who are you?!" He asked sharply.

The voice didn't answer, but just laughed sweetly, yet coldly. "Oh, you'll find out...but, not right now..." The moving shadows suddenly all shot towards a door leading outside, and a cold feeling chilled Prowl right to his spark.

He turned around, just as Emma sat up suddenly, gasping as she woke up. She looked around, her face pale as the lights came back on, and she was gasping. She buried her face in her hands, and Prowl went over to her immediately, placing a hand on her shoulder. She suddenly flung herself at him, burying her face in his chest. She was shaking, and Prowl immediately laced his arms around her, drawing her closer to him.

"It's okay," he said quietly, knowing that something was not right. "It's okay, I'm here...what happened?"

"Vampires..." Emma whimpered. She was still shaking. "They destroyed everything...Teramina...the Royal Family..."

Prowl froze. Did Emma just say...Vampires?

Emma was in a terrible state, and so Prowl did the only thing that he could do - he picked her up and took her to her room, to sit by her bedside for the entire night and make sure that the shadow-lady did not come back...

* * *

The next day, Emma used her computer to research libraries in Detroit, and came across one that was owned by Victoria's family. A quick phone-call later, Sai and Victoria were dropping Emma off at the library, which was a big, old-fashioned Hogwarts-like library.

As Emma walked in, she had a sudden vision of what was about to happen. She would go into the library, and ask the librarian (whom was about a hundred years old) for books on Vampires and such. The librarian would take her to a _really_ old and dusty corner of the library (or, maybe even the basement) and show her these big, scary old books on darker forces. The books would be a little bit _too_ helpful, and nobody would be able to explain where they'd come from...

Actually, what _really_ happened was that the librarian was none other than Henry Masterson, on community service despite all of Powell's protesting. When Emma asked him for books on Vampires, he said: "Third floor, noob..." Then, he looked up at her. "Hey, you're the _lamo_ Nanny of Sumdac's kid...is that a hedgehog on your head? Sweet..."

"I'm not into nuts." Emma said dryly, half referring to the hedgehog that was the chocolate and nut dessert, and half to the fact that Masterson creeped the _Hell_ out of her! She walked away quickly, and climbed her way up the staircases and to the third floor, where she quickly located the books on Vampires. The only other person on the third floor (which hardly had any corners that weren't occupied by big armchairs and plants, and was open and light with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in all of the golden sunlight) was a man in a blue hoodie listening to headphones, and he kept to himself, so Emma was free to curl up in a large beanbag chair with Scuz and a tall pile of books. She began to read...

"Vampires, Undead Monsters...jeez, that's not how Bella talked about Edward Cullen..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, the other Autobots were hard at work, trying to help to fix the city that they (and the Decepticons) had indadvertedly destroyed half of.

Bumblebee stopped what he was doing. "Okay, I'm officially bored." He wished that Sari or Emma were here - they always made things fun! Bumblebee looked around. "Hey, Boss-Bot, how about a cooling break?!"

"You just had one two cycles ago!" Optimus replied, vexed.

"But I'm thirsty!"

It was then that Optimus reminded him that the city needed to be repaired, partially because of them. Bumblebee noticed, as if on cue, Blitzwing and Lugnut stealing construction supplies, and commented that it was mainly _their_ fault!

They took care of them, but the overpass bridge took a beating - forcing the repair bots to do their job..._again_.

It tool them until late evening, and by that time Bulkhead was cemented to the ground, by mistake.

He said that he'd stay, as the other Autobots left. On the way home, Prowl got a message from Emma.

"_Prowl, can you come and get me, please? Here are my coordinates. Thanks_."

Prowl told the others, and then took a detour, arriving at the library. He walked in through the front doors, in his holoform, and frowned at Henry asleep at the front desk. He mumbled in his sleep. "Nngnn...lamo hedgehog girl...third-floor is...Vampires...sweet..."

Prowl raised an eyebrow, and then decided to follow this advice, and went to the third-floor. Something alerted him to the fact that something was wrong, and so he returned to his robot-mode on the second-floor, before he reached the third-floor.

There, he saw a similar scene to what he had seen the other night - dark shadows darted all around the now eery-looking night-time library, and they all seemed to be focusing on a figure lying in a beanbag-chair, asleep, and with a big old book against her chest.

It was Emma, and she was shaking, whimpering in her nightmare.

Prowl stared intently, recognizing the scene, and said: "Show yourself, Vampire!"

There was the light, girlie-cackle from everywhere around him, and then the voice said: "Not quite yet, darling...first, she must be made _aware_..."

"I won't allow you to hurt her!" Prowl threatened, his optics following the shadows swiftly.

"You do not understand!" The voice told him. "My Master, though...oh, _he_ understands her, he _knows_ her, but...then again, so do _you_...you just don't _recognize_ her..." She giggled.

Prowl felt his spark hammer in his chest.

This was...a Vampire...he thought he might have even _heard_ about her, but...

Prowl suddenly thought of something, and clicked on his lights, bathing the room in a slightly-eery but illuminating light, which dispelled the shadows, and the femme gasped before she, too, was gone, but not for good...

Prowl considered all of this, his face thoughtful and tense.

Just then, Emma awoke with a cry, and yelled something that sounded like: "_Mum_!" She began to sob silently, and Prowl went to her immediately.

"I came, as soon as I got your message...I am here..." Prowl held the trembling human closer to his spark.

"I...didn't...call...but, _they_ called, and only _he_ answered, but..." Emma was shaking, and ended up passing out from the fear that Prowl felt was still tearing into her.

He didn't know _what_ this darkness was plaguing her, but he was _determined_ to find out...

As he left, carrying her, neither of them realised that they were _both_ forgetting two very important things...

* * *

Prowl and Emma (still asleep) returned to the base, at around the same time that Bulkhead brought home his new friends, Mix and Scrapper.

As he cradled Emma in his arms, Prowl leaned towards Ratchet and muttered: "Where did Bulkhead _find_ these two?" He was glad that Emma was asleep - she would _not_ have appreciated the two newcomers.

"I got a feeling it _wasn't_ charm school." Ratchet replied, crossing his arms.

Emma stirred, slowly waking up again, just as Sari appeared, clutching her pink pillow and rubbing at her eyes. "Wh-what's going on...?"

Emma woke up quickly. "Sari?!" She suddenly became aware of Mix and Scrapper. "What the Hell...?!"

Mix and Scrapper called Sari a "pet" and she got offended. She wanted to know who they were. Prowl and Bumblebee hurried over to her, saying that it was nobody she needed to be spending anytime with.

Emma nodded, and Prowl set her down. "Come on, back to bed, kiddo." Emma said calmly, taking Sari by the shoulder, but there were distractions.

Optimus was asking Bulkhead if it was really a good idea to bring strangers here. Bulkhead said that they were his friends.

"They're good guys." He protested. "I know they're not exactly _gentle-bots_..."

"I'll say!" Emma snapped.

That was when Mix suddenly threw the flattened oil can at Bulkhead like a discus. He caught it and threw it back, telling Scrapper to think fast, but the latter was too busy drinking even _more_ oil to pay attention.

Emma gasped, and pushed Sari out of the way, and they both fell to the floor as the discus zoomed over their heads.

"_That's it_!" Emma was _not_ in a good mood. "_Get those two out of my house - NOW_!"

Mix laughed. "Aww, don't be that way, shorty!"

Emma would have bristled, had she been an echidna. "Op-ti-mus..." She said slowly, pronouncing every syllable. She looked about ready to kill sombot, or a lot of bots.

Optimus had had enough trouble in dealing with Elita-1 in the past to _know_ that Emma meant business now, and so he kicked the happy drinking buddies out. Bulkhead was unhappy, but not as much as Emma when she said: "Umm, Prowl...where's Scuz-Bag?"

Prowl flinched. "Umm, was he...with you?"

"Yes..." Emma nodded. Then: "_He's still at the library_!" She screeched out the last part, and looked around desperately. "We have to go, we have to _find_ him, let's go!" She made to move out, but Prowl and Optimus stopped her.

"It's too late at the moment." Optimus said firmly.

"I'm an _adult_." Emma glared at him.

"But...the library will be closed." Prowl added.

"I know the owner." Emma shrugged.

Optimus glanced at Prowl. The black mech was looking at Emma with a look of...concern? Something must have happened...

"Emma, I'm sure that Scuz will be fine in the library until morning," Optimus said, diplomatically. "He's probably curled up somewhere, safe and sound."

Ratchet nodded. "You should go to sleep and then go and get him in the morning." He said, gruffly, arms still crossed.

Emma looked down. "But...he's...important to me..." She whimpered.

Sari reached over and touched Emma's arm. "He'll be okay. You said so yourself - they're hardy creatures."

Emma nodded, and then glanced up at Prowl.

"As soon as the library opens, then we'll go." He told her. He held out his pinkie. "Promise."

She wrapped her pinkie around his as best she could, considering that he was in his robot-mode. She nodded, looking miserable and, for that reason and a few others, Prowl stayed by her side that night, sleeping with his head resting near to her side on her bed. It didn't matter. Bulkhead was miserable and curled up in a corner of Emma's room; Bumblebee slept in the chair with Sari's teddy bear; and Sari herself curled up by Emma's side, hogging the blankets.

Ratchet and Optimus glanced into the room, and both of them smiled.

* * *

As soon as the morning came, Emma and Prowl made their way over to the library, Prowl apologizing for leaving Scuz behind, and Emma berating herself for forgetting about him in the first place.

They arrived at the library, and the librarian (whom was _not_ Masterson) let them in. She watched in snide amusement as Emma and Prowl (in his holoform) spent five entire hours looking for Scuz, crawling around on the floor under tables and behind book-shelves to try and find the echidna. This librarian was one of Charlie's friends, a red-head named Stacey. She was mainly watching Prowl, of course, though she didn't recognize him. Emma and Prowl searched every floor twice and, by the afternoon, they _still_ had not found what they were looking for.

Emma sunk down on the steps outside the library, and put her head in her hands. "Oh no..._now_ what do we do?" She asked, swallowing. Tears threatened to escape but she didn't let them. Crying never helped anybody...

Prowl knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her knee. "We'll find him. He can't have gone too far - he probably made it outside, somehow." He added, looking around.

"What if he got hit by a car?" Emma whispered, scared by the thought.

"He has enough sense to stay away from the road." Prowl said diplomatically.

Emma glanced at him (they were eye-level with each other now) and he saw a great deal of fear and worry and guilt in her eyes, and got the same sense from her emotions.

She, however, was surprised by the feeling of concern she was getting from him, and...devotion? She suddenly _truly_ believed that he would do whatever he could to help her.

Just then, Stacey came out of the library and walked towards the car park, where a shiny car had just dropped off Henry Masterson.

As Prowl and Emma watched, Stacey walked up to him and slapped him hard across the face, which was _totally_ unexpected, until she cried: "_I had to get up at SIX AM to open this bloody place, you son of a b-_"

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault, lamo!" **(Author's Note - I just thought I should tell you, when I first typed this in, I typed in "lamp" by mistake.)**

Stacey's hands flew to her hips. "Then _whose_ fault is it?!" She sounded like she couldn't _wait_ to hear this!

"It's that freakazoid hedgehog that did _this_ to my hand!" As Henry held up his bandages hands, Emma and Prowl had the exact same thought at the exact same time and, for that reason, Emma was on her feet and running across the carp park, with Prowl right behind her. "I had to drop that total _noob_ pet off at the animal shelter after it got _left_ here last night-" He was suddenly cut off by Emma's arrival.

She shoved Stacey out of the way, and glared up at Henry. "_What_ did you do to my echidna?! You _better_ not have hurt him, or else I'll..."

"Whoa, take it easy there, noob!" Henry glared back at her. "I'm not telling you _anything_! I still haven't forgotten how your lamo friends tried to get me arrested!"

Emma was seeing red by this stage, and it sparked something within her. Scuz was her beloved pet, a reminder of her home and her nationality. Not caring if she got arrested for assault charges, Emma jumped up and, lashing out with her right leg, clipped Henry around the shoulder and slammed him to the ground, landing with her right foot pressed heavily against his chest.

"_Yes. You. WILL_!" Emma said angrily, a strange blue glow appearing around her right foot, and smouldering slightly into the front of Henry's chest.

He yelped. "Okay, okay, lamo, it's the one on the corner of Princess and Incarnadine, now let me go, you noob!"

Emma glared at him for a moment longer and then, letting her anger subside, she turned to Prowl. "Let's transform and roll out!"

Prowl rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, transforming in a swift movement that made Stacey gasp in shock and admiration. At the same time, Emma jumped off of Henry, making sure to support her weight (all forty-five kilograms of it) on her right leg only for a second, before pushing off and jumping onto the back of Prowl's alt mode, as the two of them raced off.

Stacey stared after them, feeling a mixture of resentment that border-lined on hatred (towards Emma) and smitten towards a certain black cyber-ninja (her and about six hundred others, in this world and another one).

As Henry got up and dusted himself off, he muttered: "That lamo chick and her robot noob...they don't even know that I just dumped that thing off the side of the road near the park...the lamo thing's probably dead by now - serves them all right!"

Henry didn't see the man standing, leaning against the wall nearby, and he had heard every word of this despite the headphones. He wore the same dark blue hooded jacket, and had blue jeans on. A red visor covered his identically-coloured eyes...

* * *

By five o'clock, Emma couldn't stop the tears that were falling. She tried to hide them from Prowl as they made their way home in the twilight but, of course, he already knew, and he stopped on the side of the road for a minute.

He transformed, holding Emma in his hand, and looked at her.

There was nothing that he could say to her to make her feel better, as she stared up at him with her liquid-gold eyes. There was so much hurt in them that Prowl felt his spark clench up, and all he could do right at that stage was to hold Emma to his chest-plate.

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall, unable to stop them now.

Prowl placed his other hand against her back, forming a sort of shield around her, and began to hum a human lullaby that he had found on the internet a while back, something called _Brahms Lullaby_.

Emma recognized it after the first two bars - her Mother had sung it to her when she was a baby, although they had always joked that Lee's singing had scarred both her kids for life.

Emma hummed along with Prowl, their voices creating a perfect harmony with each other's, and filling the street with the beautiful sound. Unbeknownst to the both of them, a reporter and her camera-bot just happened to be in the vicinity, and she motioned for it to begin filming live, whilst she herself spoke quietly into the microphone.

"I'm Scarlet Garcea, here on the corner of Princess Street and Samurai Court, which seems quite ironic for what I am now witnessing. You may hear in the background what sounds like very melodic humming," the camera-bot panned over to the left to reveal Emma, still in Prowl's embrace, and both of them still humming that same song. The camera-bot zoomed in a little bit. "This is of course one of the Autobots, the one known as Prowl whom many have dubbed "the silent ninja", but not so silent now as he hums this beautiful lullaby for what appears to be a human girl. I believe she is a close friend of the Autobots, and perhaps even closer to "the silent ninja"? We have yet to find out..." The camera-bot continued filming as Emma and Prowl, still completely oblivious, finished their song and smiled at each other, both seeming to be a little bit sheepish.

"Feel better?" Prowl asked her, and she nodded. He used the tip of his thumb to wipe away a stray tear. "Let's head back." She nodded again, and he set her down in the ground.

He was about to transform, when Emma suddenly looked down at her hand, which had started glowing a dull blue. "Huh? Hey, wait a second Prowl, I think there's another All-Spark Fragment around here..." She walked over to a manhole, and her hand began to glow brighter. "Heh, I don't need Sari's key for this..." She lifted up the cover, and her hand began to act like some form of a torch. Both she and Prowl peered into the sewer tunnel, and Prowl transformed into his holoform.

The cyber-ninja cleared his throat. "Now, umm, forgive me if I'm wrong, but don't humans always say 'when the sun goes down'..."

"'Stay above ground'." Emma finished for him, nodding impatiently. "I know, but we have to get to it before the Decepticons do!" She began to ease herself into the hole. "Plus, i want to find _something_ tonight, if I can't ever see Scuz again!"

"Uh, perhaps I should go first?" Prowl suggested.

She looked outraged. "_I'm wearing a skirt_!" She cried, and continued to climb down.

Prowl actually blushed. "Oh...right..." He followed Emma down into the sewers.

Scarlet looked excited. "I am now preparing to follow these two into the sewers in search of this All-Spark Fragment - what dangers await us in the tunnels? This is Scarlet Garcia for Channel Ninety-Two News, getting in touch with my ninja-side!"

The blonde-haired reporter quickly descended into the tunnels, but what she didn't know was that she was being followed by a stranger in a blue hoodie. _He_ was being followed by a red-haired girl with a mission, and he knew it, but he cared not...

* * *

The only reason that none of the Autobots were aware of all this (even though half of Detroit was) was because Bumblebee and Sari had been banned from watching any channel that went over ninety since pirating those illegal street-races into the base, and there was nothing good on this evening, anyways. just some old Japanese horror film about the undead.

Sari and Bumblebee, in his holoform, were currently involved in a thumb-wrestle.

"One-two-three-four, I declare a thumb war!" Bumblebee chanted, as he and Sari moved their thumbs onto opposite sides of each other's hands (everybody knows the drill, even on Cybertron).

"Five-six-seven-eight, try to keep your thumb straight!" Sari added, grinning.

As an ominous-sounding gong came from the TV, Bumblebee and Sari solemnly made their thumbs "bow" to each other.

Then, they became involved in an all-out thumb war, with neither of them willing to give in until ten minutes had passed, and Sari finally won.

"_Yes_!" She cheered, rocking back in her seat and throwing her hands up into the air. "I am the _champion_!"

Bumblebee groaned. "Okay, how about best three out of five?"

"I've got an even _better_ idea!" Sari grinned. "Battle Ships!"

* * *

Emma and Prowl walked along the walkway in the sewers, and Emma tried not to think about the last time that she'd been down here. Where was Soundwave now? Silently plotting his revenge to kill them all, and the rest of humankind as well? What if they ran into him down here? Emma glanced uneasily at Prowl, and he smiled reassuringly.

"We'll be fine." Prowl told her calmly. "If anything happens, then I _will_ protect you."

"I-I know." Emma stammered. Were they going to have this conversation _here_?

"You're...unlike anybody I've ever met on this planet, Emma," Prowl went on, staring straight ahead and deciding that this was the best way to go about what he had to say - just keep on going. "You're...so small and delicate, like a tiny flower, and yet...there's something _electric_ about you as well, something that draws me towards you...I feel like a planet revolving around its sun...around _you_..." He said, in a strangely strong voice for just having told her something very personal...

Emma coughed and looked ahead, feeling that her face might never stop blushing, now. "S-so, Bumblebee and Sari...think there's a connection there?"

Prowl nearly got whiplash from the sudden change of topic, just as Emma stepped on a loose piece of the floor, and she slipped. She fell to her left, straight into the sewer water...

* * *

SPLASH!

Bumblebee gasped in shock, as a small cannonball was fired over the wall separating him and Sari. It hit the highly-detailed small wooden replica of the Batavia, which capsized and disappeared beneath the shallow pool of water in one of the rooms at the base. "You _sunk_ it!"

As Sari cackled maniacally from her side of the wall, Bumblebee got an idea, and grabbed a nearby hat from an old box of dress-up clothes. He scaled the brick wall, and then jumped onto the top of it, thrusting a pretend sword into the air to go with his pirate captain's hat. "Avast, me hearty, for ye be..._cheating_?!" Bumblebee stared at the pair of tall parascope-like binoculars on wheels, peering over the wall. He then looked at Sari.

She peered up innocently at him from beneath her big admiral's hat, and then grinned. "Uh...sorry?"

"That's it!" Bumblebee jumped down from the wall. "Come here, ye scoundrel!"

"Eek!" Sari shrieked, giggling slightly as jumped onto the stepping stones in the pool. She used her key to activate a small, mechanical dog-shark, which chomped its way towards Bumblebee.

"Oh Primus, it be even _worse_ than the Great White Whale!" Bumblebee cried, dramatically.

Sari was laughing by this stage, as she hopped from stone to stone, using her key to aim the cannonballs at Bumblebee, and he dodged them whilst riding on the back of the mechanical shark.

Ratchet and Optimus, both doing some work that required heavy-thinking, exchanged glances. They could hear Sari and Bumblebee from all the way at the other end of the base. They exchanged a glance - Optimus looked amused, but Ratchet just groaned and stood up, marching down the hallway to yell at the two best friends...

* * *

Stacey trudged through the sewers, wondering where everybody was. She was hopelessly lost and, worst of all, it was down here in a sewer. She had a mission though - the Autobots were famous, and some of them were downright handsome, in their human-forms only, of course. Oh, how Stacey would _love_ to be the first of her friends to win an Autobot's heart...err, spark thingie, or whatever it was called.

Charlie would just _die_ of jealousy, and then Stacey would be the most popular one of the group, with an Autobot by her side. Best yet, that weird gothic little girl wouldn't be able to do a thing about it!

Stacey's plan was to get into some kind of danger, and then Prowl would save her - she would then sweep him off his feet, or the other way around!

Stacey giggled, as she crawled through another tunnel, and imagined what it would be like to be hugged by somebody like Prowl. "It's warm..." She whispered, putting her hand out on the wall near to her. The next second, she recoiled in horror, as the wall around her began to move. "Rats..._it's a wall of rats_!" She cried. She backed out of the death-trap tunnel as fast as she could, and then ran as fast as she could in her high-heeled sandals. The rats, however, furious at having their precious home intruded upon, gave chase, all of them in a big pack.

Stacey thought she heard something from up ahead - it sounded like a robot, and she thought that it could be Prowl!

Stacey gave a triumphant grin, just as the rats began to encircle her. "I'm catching up...but, so are the rats..." She suddenly screeched as she was swallowed up by a pack of rats, and yelled something unrepeatable.

Meanwhile, the source of the sound - the camera-bot - swooped overhead, clearly terrified and intent on getting as faraway from here as possible...

* * *

Emma came up from the water, spluttering in disbelief, as she rubbed the water away from her eyes, and then examined a strand of her hair. "Augh..." She groaned, not wanting to know what she'd just fallen into. _A really great guy just told me that he likes me...and, I go and fall into this...this...mess..._

Prowl was watching her in shock. "Are you...?"

"Damn floor tile." Emma muttered, glaring at the offending piece of cement. "This is all _your_ fault...you and your kind _despise_ me..." She picked it up, and it crumbled in her hand, to reveal the glowing blue All-Spark Fragment that they had been searching for! As Emma stood up, she further revealed that another one was being absorbed into her right knee, at the exact same time and, as she absorbed both of the Fragments, she remembered something...

_A horrible, screeching beast encircled her and her protector. It was like her and, yet, it wasn't quite the same...there was something _undead_ about it, and the fact that it had bright pink energon dripping from its fangs was proof enough..._

_It was smaller than her, with huge claws and black leathery wings. Its red eyes pierced into her as it stalked around her, and she was too weak to fight it off. So was her protector._

_It was circling them like a shark circles its prey, but there was a strange way in which it was doing it, bobbing its head up and down slowly, and moving its shoulders from side-to-side. __It leapt straight at her protector, sinking its fangs deep into the side of his neck, and both he and she screamed, as the Vampire injected her protector with its venom..._

"Emma! Emma!" Prowl said urgently, looking down at her. She shook her head, and blinked up at him in shock. "What happened?"

"I saw a vision," she explained. "I...see visions, every time I absorb an All-Spark Fragment...they seem _familiar_, somehow, but I can't explain why I would know them..."

A strange look crossed Prowl's face, and he muttered: "You mean, like the day at the station, when Starscream attacked us?"

Emma nodded, remembering the vision that she'd seen, and the fact that she'd said Master Yoketron's name. "Prowl..." She began, reaching for his outstretched hand.

Just then, a scream tore through the air, one that was filled with fear and pain and was quickly cut off...

Emma and Prowl's eyes opened wide, and he yanked her out of the water, transforming and she found herself on his alt. mode as he sped towards the sound of the danger...

* * *

Bulkhead was relieved from Monitor Duty by Optimus, and that was when he remembered the keg of unstable fixative in his holding area. He decided to put it in the closet where they tended to keep things that they didn't know what to do with anymore.

Bulkhead opened the closet, and found Sari and Bumblebee in there, amidst an array of various knickknacks and other useless junk.

Bulkhead stared down at Sari and Bumblebee. The two of them stared back up at the big guy.

"Uh...what are you two _doing_ in there?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"Hiding from Ratchet." Sari whispered.

"The Hatchet." Bumblebee added, shuddering.

Bulkhead raised an optic-ridge, and then held out the keg of unstable fixative, which Bumblebee took.

"Thank you." Bulkhead said, closing the door slowly.

"You're welcome." Bumblebee replied, hiding the keg behind a big dummy of Sentinel Prime that they sometimes used for target practice.

* * *

The scene that Emma and Prowl came across was one straight out of a nightmare - a horrible-looking creature with mottled scales and spikes glared up at them with piercing red eyes, that matched the warm blood dripping from its fangs. In its mouth was a familiar-looking blonde-haired lady, and Emma suddenly gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth in shock.

"That's...Scarlet Garcia! The reporter! Oh my God!" Emma couldn't believe it - Scarlet was dead, the red blood staining her almost white skin, and it looked like she'd just had all of that blood drained from her lifeless body.

Prowl had gone still, as he transformed swiftly and held Emma in his hand. This was it - not quite the monster that had been invading Emma's nightmares, but surely one of her kind.

A Vampire.

At the same time as Prowl drew this conclusion, Emma whispered: "V-Vampire...?"

The thing attacked. It lunged at Emma with a snarl, and Prowl jumped out of the way with her, landing nearby. He placed Emma down to allow himself to fight better.

The Vampire turned and snarled again, its red eyes fixed on Emma. Blood still dripped from its mouth, and it opened it to reveal sharp, gleaming fangs.

It began to circle them in the tight space, never once taking its eyes off of Emma. It circled, moving it's head slowly up and down, and its shoulders from side-to-side.

_No..._ Emma thought, her mind going back to her vision. "Prowl, it's going to attack us!"

Prowl glanced at her for a second, and the Vampire lunged at them. Emma gasped...

* * *

A large blue figure suddenly pushed Emma and Prowl out of the way, and met the creature that was trying to kill them, the same way it had just killed a woman.

The mech thrust a hand straight into the creature's skull, piercing through the metal and into the processor. The Vampire screeched in pain, its body enveloped by dark shadows, before it took on the form of a man.

Emma and Prowl stared in horror at Damo Rennards hung suspended from the mech's hand, black blood dripping from him and his entire body burned from his previous injuries last year.

He glared at Emma with sightless eyes, somehow knowing that she was there.

"You...bitch...this should be...you..." He spat out black blood, just as the mech holding him crushed his skull completely, and the Vampire disappeared into black shadows, destroyed.

As the shadows faded, Emma and Prowl got up, glancing first at each other, then at the pale corpse of Scarlet Garcia, and finally at...

"Soundwave?" Emma said, and Prowl tensed, immediately standing in front of her protectively.

Soundwave turned around slowly, nothing on his face giving anything away. He said, in his monotone: "Affirmative."

Prowl said: "Why did you save us?" At the same time that Emma asked: "_How_ did you save us?"

"Soundwave received intelligence from external source on techniques to kill the creatures known as Vampires." Soundwave replied blankly. "Soundwave wishes to inform you that his kind are adept at handling Vampires - Autobots are not."

"You mean...the Decepticons know how to battle and kill Vampires?" Emma asked slowly, peering out from behind Prowl's leg.

Soundwave nodded. "Affirmative. Further intelligence also reveals that you are sought after by both the Decepticons and the Vampires. Correct?"

Prowl got into a defensive-stance. "You Decepticons will _never_..."

"Soundwave has no intentions of acting on Megatron's behalf." Soundwave replied flatly. "Soundwave's only objective is revenge on the Vampires and, for that, the angel of the All-Spark must remain in one piece, regardless of what form she takes."

Prowl froze.

"He means _me_, doesn't he?" Emma whispered. "Wait, why do you want to get revenge on the Vampires? What did they do to you?"

"There is at least one thing that Soundwave despises more than humans." He replied. "The Vampires destroyed something important to Soundwave, now Soundwave will exact his revenge..." He half-turned.

"It was you that sent the message to Prowl yesterday, wasn't it?" Emma asked him. "You mimicked my voice?"

"Affirmative."

"Thank you."

"Do you two wish to return to the surface?"

_What is he, an Ooocoo_? Emma wondered. She glanced up at Prowl, and he was looking down at her. Should they trust him?

Prowl nodded slightly. "Very well." He said, tightly.

Soundwave pressed a button his chest. "Laserbeak, Eject."

The black and red bird-like Casseticon appeared, and Emma and Prowl followed him through the tunnels, which he led them through at a fairly fast pace, so fast in fact that Prowl had to transform and travel that way, with Emma on his back.

When they finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel, Laserbeak was nowhere in sight. They were in a park of some description, and night had fallen.

Something was glimmering by a very shallow and small creek of water just by the entrance, and it appeared to be an All-Spark Fragment and...

"Scuz-Bag!" Emma cried, jumping off of Prowl and hurrying over to the echidna, whom allowed himself to be picked up as she gazed at him happily and wished that she could hug him. He nuzzled at her hand. "You're okay!" _Thank you, Soundwave..._

Prowl couldn't keep the smile off his face, as he walked up to Emma, and she looked up at him happily. He put a hand on her back.

Then, she glanced down, at the All-Spark Fragment, and picked it up.

All at once, images flooded through her mind and, because Prowl had his hand on her back, he got some of the images too, but not all of them...

_She knelt by his side, attempting to restrain his arms as he thrashed. His red optics were wild, and he was clearly in a lot of pain._

_He looked up into her optics, and she could see her terrified face reflected in his red optics. "Do it!" He commanded, still struggling. "Before it takes me over completely...do it!"_

_"But...I-I can't!" She stammered, tears filling her eyes._

_"Look, kid, if you don't, I'll probably end up killing you...and, I don't wanna do that..."_

_She gulped, and held up the dagger. Nodding, her hand trembling, she began to make a small incision in his left wrist._

_"Deeper!"_

_She gasped, and then plunged the dagger deep into the mech's left wrist, drawing out a mixture of pink energon and black energon._

_"The other wrist!" The mech guided her, trying not to scream through the pain of the dagger, but that was _nothing_ compared to the searing of the venom that was trying to convert him. His own energon splattered his white face, and the spikes on his body. He directed the femme to make incisions in his ankles as well, followed by his stomach; neck and, finally, in the small area above his spark._

_He was screaming in pain by this stage, as more of the venom splattered out, and burned them both. She shook with fear and shock, and kept calling out a name that could hardly be heard over her protector's screams..._

Emma startled out of her reverie, and collapsed, falling against Prowl's hand as he caught her, and he also took careful hold of Scuz-Bag, too. No point in losing the echidna, again...

Emma looked tiredly up into Prowl's blue optics, a thousand and one emotions swimming in her eyes, but even more emitting from her heart. Prowl felt it, and she felt his emotions too, somehow, but why was he feeling guilty? For not being able to protect her?

Prowl smiled reassuringly, though, and she smiled, feeling slightly content, and definitely safe enough to curl up in the palm of Prowl's hand and go to sleep there, as he carried her all the way home.

As Prowl walked off, carrying his precious cargo, another small figure emerged from the sewer tunnels, covered in slime and in rat fur.

"Augh..." Stacey complained, holding her shoes in her left hand as she tried to sludge on home without slipping...

* * *

Everybody was happy that Emma had gotten Scuz-Bag back - Sari hardly let him out of her sight, and helped her Nanny to give the echidna a special bath in the trough. But...

The news of Scarlet Garcia's gruesome and unexplained death soon circulated. Luckily, connections had not yet been followed up between her story and her death, which was good new (sort of) because the Autobots had _bigger_ problems...

"They went to the Decepticons?!" Optimus exclaimed, referring to Mix and Scrapper.

"Uh-oh..." Emma muttered, walking in as she heard Sari exclaim 'ouch' from down the hallway. Emma went over to Prowl. She'd almost forgotten about the two Constructicons.

As Bulkhead was trying to explain things, Emma and Prowl were both wondering when a good time to explain their story would be. Just then, Mix and Scrapper showed up, but the problem was that they _were_ working for the Decepticons.

"But...I thought we were friends..." Bulkhead's shoulders sagged.

"We _are_ friends, Bulky," Mix told him reassuringly, as Scrapper winked. "That's why we ain't gonna hurt you, okay? So long as you hand over the...uh, the Angle...uh, what did Megatron call that femme again?" Scrapper shrugged, and then Mix pointed at Emma. "Eh, that thing there."

Thing?

As Prowl tensed, Optimus moved to stand in the way. "Over my offline body!" He marched up to Mix and Scrapper.

"Ah, you know what?" Mix was getting riled up quickly. "I have had _enough_ of this dipstick in the mud!" He pushed Optimus backwards.

As Ratchet caught a dazed Optimus, Bumblebee said: "Hey! He's _our_ dipstick!"

"And nobody pushes him around!" Ratchet added angrily. He quickly blasted Mix with some of his electro-magnetic powers, sending the mech flying.

As the battle ensued, Prowl pushed Emma out of the way and leapt into the fray.

She watched, silently hoping that Sari and Scuz would stay in the laundry room, as she noticed that Bulkhead seemed to have vanished...where did he go?

Just then, Emma felt a pair of arms grab her from behind, and she let out a yell.

Everybody stopped, to see that Mix and Scrapper were both there, but in their holoforms! They both resembled typical construction workers - Mix was short and stocky with a beard, and Scrapper was tall and lanky and looked kind of like Peeta Mallark from _The Hunger Games_. They both had a good grip on Emma, and Prowl felt his energon boil. He prepared to attack, but caught Emma's eye, just before he moved - she shook her head, ever so slightly. Prowl paused, feeling confused.

Bulkhead came back in. "I guess you guys won..." He sounded calm.

"No hard feelings?" Mix asked, as he and Scrapper transformed, and Mix held Emma in one hand, silently infuriating Prowl even further.

"Nah...how 'bout one for the road?" Bulkhead held out the two cans of oil, which Mix and Scrapper gratefully accepted, and drank in one long swig.

Bulkhead managed to catch Emma's eye, and winked slightly. She nodded, looking slightly pale, but not as scared as she would have been had she not known what was about to happen next. Only...would _she_ be okay with it?

As Mix and Scrapper ran down the road (what, no transforming?), she dared to say: "I don't think you guys are th-that bad, even though...you, Mix, are morally-guided by the bot with the better oil, am I r-right?"

"That's right, shorty!" Mix said proudly, although he seemed a little bit groggy. "You know, Bulky ain't so bad, either..." He suddenly groaned, and held onto his stomach, slowing down a bit.

"Can't hold your oil, pal?" Scrapper shook his head. "I'm ashamed of you, pal."

Emma felt a sudden connection coming from somewhere behind her, and sensed that Prowl was on his way, as were the other Autobots. She panicked suddenly - what would happen when the explosion took place?!

Clasping her hands in front of her, as if in prayer, she closed her eyes, and at that moment she sensed a calming force coming from within her and all around her, and it filled her with a cool light that greatly contrasted to the searing heat that exploded from all around her when the unstable fixative that Bulkhead had put in the oil suddenly exploded...

* * *

The Autobots arrived on the scene to find Emma, somehow, still in one piece, and a calming, blue bubble around her. It disappeared and she looked up as the Autobots approached her. "Huh?" Then: "Prowl!" She flung herself at him.

"I put a little extra something in this oil." Bulkhead stated calmly, holding up the rest of the fixative. "You okay, Ems?"

She nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm okay, thanks..." She replied, from safe in Prowl's arms.

Mix and Scrapper came back online, but the explosion had scrambled their memories. Bulkhead attacked them, and they got scared and took off, leaving the Autobots and Emma wondering about them, and about a few _other_ things, as well...


	15. Over

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Magical Princess - I wonder if your prediction on this chapter will be true? XD And, yes, the rats idea came from Sailor Moon.

anonomon - thanks for your reviews!

Thanks also to pokemonjkl; Luna636; and that one Guest. ^^

Also, the name of this chapter is completely random...

* * *

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Over

* * *

Emma's phone was ringing, but she didn't answer it. She was having a great dream, about sitting on a grassy hilltop over-looking a beautiful city, like the scene in the Pokemon opening theme from the Hoenn saga. She was sitting with five others, and she glanced at each of them in turn.

_One sat very primly, her hands folded neatly, and somebody much larger sat behind her, a clawed hand on her shoulder. Next to them, another laughed, as she leaned against somebody that was also much larger than her._

_Emma herself sat nearby, and glanced at the one sitting closest to her. He glanced down at her, and she saw her face - Angel's face - reflected in his red optics. He smiled at her, and she smiled back._

_He reached out to take her hand, and..._

The Transformers theme crescendoed, playing right in her ear, and she sat bolt upright, gasping. Fumbling for her phone, she pressed receive and placed the phone against her ear. "Hello?" She said, sleepily. "Captain Fanzone? What's...oh..._oh_..." She groaned. "Okay, I'll be there soon..." She sighed.

* * *

Emma realised that she had overslept, and that nearly everybody had left the base by the time she'd gotten up. Only Ratchet and Optimus were there, looking at the monitors.

"What's going on?" Emma asked. "Where is everybody?" She walked up to Optimus, and he picked her up and put her on the bench near to the monitor.

"Prowl and Bulkhead have gone to Dino-Bot Island to investigate some sightings about the Dino-Bots rampaging." Optimus explained.

Emma's eyes widened. "What? The Dino-Bots wouldn't do that. True, they're kinda territorial, but, if you leave them alone, then..." She shrugged. She'd been with Prowl many times to see the Dino-Bots, and they were always happy to see her, calling her 'pretty organic lady' and listening to her singing. They were just like big, robot puppies.

That breathed fire...

Ratchet was just putting a communication through to Prowl now. "Prowl, any sign of the Dino-Bots?"

Emma looked up, as Prowl's face appeared on a screen. "Negative, Ratchet - I'm starting to think those reports of rampages were nothing more than exaggerations."

"We're not taking any chances, Prowl." Optimus told him. "That's why I had Ratchet lend you his EMP Generator and those stasis cuffs."

"Still, I hardly think that's necessary." Prowl said. "The Dino-Bots are territorial but, if left alone, they're perfectly happy."

As the communications were cut off, and Emma thought about what was going to happen next, she suddenly remembered her phone-call. "Oh, right, can somebody give me a ride somewhere?"

"I'm afraid we have our servos full here at the moment," Optimus told her. "Why? What's wrong?" He added, seeing the troubled look on her face.

"Umm...I kind of have to go and help in a police investigation...because...umm..." She stammered, just as the communications came back on.

"Ratchet," Prowl said. "We have a medical situation. A large spike is wedged into Grimlock's foot."

"Oh, poor baby..." Emma muttered. "No wonder he was so upset..."

"Emma?" Prowl hadn't know that she was there. _I guess she slept in...again..._

"Alright, listen up," Ratchet said. "Set the EMP Gen to about sixty percent, and adjust the beam to its most narrow focus. Now, give three pulses around the spike...then _yank_ that sucker out..."

There was silence for a moment, as Prowl carried out Ratchet's instructions (with some help from Bulkhead).

Then, when the all-clear was given, Ratchet gave a rare compliment to Prowl. "Nice job, kid - just like a born medi-bot."

"Good job, Prowl!" Emma added, leaning forwards. "I'm glad you were able to help Grimlock."

"Thank you," Prowl said, a slight hint of pride in his voice that none of them missed. "Still, we'll need Sari's key to help fix the damage to Grimlock's foot."

"I'm afraid Sari and Bumblebee left on an important fact-finding mission this morning," Optimus said. "To some place called...Five-Banners Rollercoaster Kingdom."

Emma face-palmed.

"What about Emma?" Prowl asked. "Could her powers be of any use in this situation?"

Emma looked up quickly. "I think they might, but this is _really_ bad timing - I just got a call from Captain Fanzone. He wants me down at the station to help with an investigation on..."

Another communication suddenly came in, and Ultra Magnus' face appeared on another screen. It was a little more static-y than Prowl's transmission, due to the distance between earth and where the Elite Guard Flagship was currently in space.

Optimus and Ratchet straightened up a little bit, and Emma adjusted her position to be slightly more lady-like.

Ultra Magnus had bad news - about a decacycle ago, Starscream had escaped from the Elite Guard Flagship, and it was a high possibility that he was headed back to earth.

"Your mission has not changed - protect the All-Spark."

* * *

Megatron was, at that very moment in time, listening to Ultra Magnus' side of the conversation, thanks to the stolen Tacion Transmitter from the Elite Guard Flagship.

"You will not be able to protect her once she remembers." Megatron had to smile at the thought. He then added: "Lugnut, send out a transmission offering a reward to any Decepticon that brings the traitor Starscream and Angel disguised as an organic to me."

* * *

"Starscream may return to earth." Prowl was saying to Bulkhead. "We should try to track him!" the thought of Starscream returning to earth to get the All-Spark made Prowl's energon turn to ice - he remembered the way Starscream had approached Emma from behind, put his hands on her shoulders, whispered in her ear...

"How?" Bulkhead's voice cut through Prowl's thoughts. "We can't track any of the Decepticons..."

"True...they've managed to mask their energy signatures somehow..." Prowl mused, as they approached their ship. "But perhaps Teletran-One's more sensitive scanners would be able to pick up his signals. We could send up a probe from the ship?"

They did so, and discovered a faint but clearly All-Spark Fragment energy signature coming from...the moon?

Prowl wanted to take the emergency shuttle and investigate, but Bulkhead managed to talk him out of it, or so he thought...

As Bulkhead was walking away from the ship, he heard the unmistakable sound of the emergency shuttle taking off. He couldn't _believe_ it...

Neither could Optimus and Ratchet, as they tried to convince him to return to earth, even after he'd proved that his theory was correct.

"What's gotten into you, Prowl?" Optimus asked him. "This isn't like you..."

"I've seen it before," Ratchet shook his head. "A bot gets a new modification and some praise from a pretty femme, and suddenly he thinks sludge don't stick to his tailpipe..."

Prowl was slightly irritated by this, especially at the mention of 'a pretty femme', and so he employed a tactic of Bumblebee's and used fake static to end his transmission.

As he made his way towards the Nemesis, the wreckage of the Decepticon's warship, he was on the highest alert, but he was also wondering what would happen if he were to capture Starscream single-handedly. He briefly indulged in a fantasy about handing Starscream over to the Elite Guard and, in that daydream, it ended the way a cheesy romance film might, with the pretty girl giving the hero a kiss...

Prowl shook his head. What had gotten _in_ to him? But, he couldn't shake off the feeling, the _sense_, that Emma was more familiar to him than he'd first thought...

Something very painful happened in Prowl's mind right then - a vision he had long ago tried to forget, of somebody he had known, somebody that had annoyed him to no ends...and yet his spark had beaten wildly every time he'd seen her.

It was the same feeling he got from Emma now...

Prowl had thought that there was _no_ way the two could be related but, after that vision he had witnessed of hers, he wasn't quite so sure he was dealing with two separate beings anymore...

Could Emma in fact be...?

It was the distraction of this thought of Prowl's that allowed Starscream to sneak up on him, and Prowl turned around to see a laser gun pointed right at him.

As Starscream fired up the gun, Prowl quickly threw a shurikan, disrupting the laser fire as Starscream cried out in pain. He tore out the shurikan and threw it, and Prowl caught it.

Starscream lunged at him but, in the next to zero-gravity of space, he seemed to be moving in slow-motion. Prowl ducked, and thought: This _is what everybody was getting so worked up over? I may have to over-play my capture when I tell Emma..._

Prowl swiftly caught Starscream after that, using the oldest ninja trick in the book, and Ratchet's EMP Generator.

He quickly slapped the stasis cuffs on Starscream, and then noticed a piece of familiar-looking silver material tied to Starscream's left wrist...it was Emma's scarf!

What was Starscream doing with it?

Frowning, Prowl started to untie it, just as a deep voice said from behind him: "Nice job, kid. But, I'll take it from here."

Prowl turned around, to see the Decepticon bounty-hunter, Lockdown. Of course, a battle ensued, which allowed Starscream to escape, thanks to the help of one of his clones, but Prowl and Lockdown were unaware of this.

Prowl realised that there was something strange about Lockdown's fighting, something that made them almost..._equal_.

When his ride home was destroyed, Prowl had precious few seconds to sneak aboard Lockdown's camouflaged ship.

All the while, he was considering his options, and he drew the only possible solution...

He and Lockdown must...work together? It didn't seem ideal, but it was the only way. Starscream was heading back to earth...which meant that the planet, as well as Emma, were in danger!

* * *

Emma, meanwhile, was sitting in the police station, glad that Victoria had come with her, because she was starting to feel _awkward_. Why had a camera-bot been there, recording Prowl comforting her, and the two of them sharing that special moment?!

She knew that it tied in with Scarlet's death, of course, and so did the police - now, they were questioning her.

The trouble was, she couldn't find a way to tell them about the Vampires, because even she herself didn't understand it!

Victoria placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, and said to the police: "She has told you all that she can. Please do not be too hard on her, Fanzone."

Fanzone sighed. "I know, but we've got a lady with her blood drained, and right now our only leads are Emma and Prowl, and the latter's...well, wherever he is right now."

"Tracking down a Decepticon by using a scanner that detects the unique All-Spark energy signature that is keeping Starscream online." Emma said promptly.

Fanzone face-palmed. "_This_ is why I hate machines!" He sighed. "Look, you and Prowl went _down_ into the tunnels, and Scarlet Garcia followed you. Anything..._unusual_ happen, whilst you all were down there?"

Emma gulped, and kept silent, knowing that she was giving herself away by not saying anything. She felt Victoria's hand tighten on her shoulder.

Fanzone motioned to a police-bot, whom handed him a folder, which Fanzone opened. "Take a look at this." Emma and Victoria leaned in to have a look. The picture was of a pretty red-haired woman. her skin was pale, and there was blood surrounding her. Emma cringed. Fanzone explained: "This is a picture of a local shop owner, one Melody Richards. She was found this way a few weeks ago. Look familiar?"

Emma stared at the picture, unable to believe it. She then looked up at Victoria, and found that Victoria was looking at her, her grey eyes unreadable.

Emma sighed. "I...think I know what's happening to them..."

Fanzone waited.

Emma bit at her thumbnail, until Victoria gently slapped her hand away. "Okay, but it's not something the police can handle - even Prowl and I were in trouble, until...uh, help showed up." She finished, not wanting to tell them that the 'help' had been a Decepticon...

"I'm not liking the sound of this..." Fanzone groaned.

Emma sighed. "Yeah...ever heard of a Vampire?" Fanzone's head snapped up, and Victoria's hand tightened on Emma's shoulder. "Well, they come in robot, now."

Fanzone muttered his trademark phrase, before asking Emma: "Have you...told your Autobot friends about this?"

Emma shook her head. "I didn't get a chance to - Prowl's the only one that knows."

Fanzone sighed. "Great. Just _great_. So, now we've got _Vampire_ bots running around after dark, and killing innocent women? My daughter's due home in a few months - what am I supposed to tell her and my Missus?"

Emma suddenly realised something. "I, uh, don't think that will be an issue...that Vampire, used to be a human. When S...when he was destroyed, I saw his face - it was Damo Rennards."

Fanzone and Victoria exchanged a glance.

"What did he want?" Victoria asked, at the same time Fanzone asked: "How did a _human_ become a robot?" It was a whole new level of disbelief for him.

"I dunno how he was converted," Emma told Fanzone, and then she looked up at Victoria. "But, I think, he was after _me_...you know, because I messed up his plans on that night. He also said, right before he died, that it should be _me_ that was dead..."

Victoria's eyes were intense. "What did Prowl say about this?" She wanted to know.

Emma shrugged. "He didn't, though he's kind of overprotective..." She blushed, remembering the footage that she'd seen. _Did anybody _else_ see that?!_

"I'd like to get him in here and question him, too," Fanzone said finally, getting slightly unnerved by the direction the conversation was headed. "Can you tell him I'll be in touch, soon?"

Emma nodded. "I've got a pretty good idea of where he might be right now?"

"Which is where?"

"The moon."

Fanzone rolled his eyes. "Oh, _perfect_ - let's just get a space shuttle and head up there right now!"

"No need." Emma said, standing up and getting out her phone, which she hit Prowl's speed dial number on. "He's on his way." She walked towards the door, which opened for her. "Hello? Prowl? Where are you?"

They heard Prowl's voice over the phone, saying that he'd just gotten back to earth and was nearby.

"How does she know that?" Fanzone asked Victoria, as Emma left. "How did she know that?"

Victoria just smiled.

* * *

Emma hurried towards the location Prowl had given her, walking along the footpath on the freeway.

Suddenly, to her right, she saw...Starscream?

No...it wasn't him. Starscream was a more pink colour than this purple bot, and this one was hiding behind a pylon when he saw her...it was one of Starscream's clones!

Emma stopped and stared at him.

"Please, don't hurt me!" The bot begged.

Emma glanced down at herself, a tiny human body wearing a short black skirt and long-sleeved grey jumper with with black knee boots and two leather bracelets on her right wrist. She glanced back up at the clone.

"I..." She began, and the clone yelped and hid behind the pylon. Emma rolled her eyes. "Riiiight..." She suddenly heard vehicles approaching, and turned to see a scary-looking muscle car and a motorcycle with a sidecar. They both transformed, revealing themselves to be Lockdown and Prowl!

"No!" The clone yelled. "No! Please! leave me alone!" He trembled, and crouched down, placing himself behind Emma in the spur of the moment.

"Don't hide behind a _femme_." Prowl and Lockdown said in unison.

Emma was looking at Prowl, a bit speechless from seeing him in his full samurai-gear, even though she knew that he wasn't quite ready to wear it yet. Lockdown, meanwhile, was looking at Emma, also speechless, but for quite a different reason to why Emma was staring at Prowl.

The clone, meanwhile, decided to seize the opportunity and escape into the skies. Prowl, of course, went after him, using his new jump-jet boosters, which he claimed to be 'nice'.

As this was going on, Lockdown and Emma watched in silence, until Lockdown said: "Aren't you the one the Decepticons are after as well?"

Emma glanced at the mech that wouldn't look out of place in a heavy metal concert, and said: "Aren't you the one that took our medic's EMP Generator?"

Lockdown chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I never forget a trophy...too bad I lost that one, but it seems your ninja-friend _also_ knows how to use it." He suddenly grabbed Emma and transformed, throwing her inside of his alt mode as he took off after Prowl and the clone.

Emma glared at the extremely scary interior, and then rolled her eyes. She took out her MP3 Player, and was about to start listening to it, when she noticed a chord with a USB connector, and decided to seize her own opportunity.

She and Lockdown went after Prowl, listening to _Fear_ by Disturbed.

"You got good taste in music, kid." Lockdown told her.

"I try." She shrugged. "Have I just been captured, by the way?" Why was it so easy to talk to Lockdown? Where was the voice constrictions, and the stammering? She felt uneasy about this...there was something familiar about Lockdown and, yet, something more terrifying than _any_ Decepticon...

Lockdown didn't answer, as they had just arrived to where Prowl had taken down the clone, and he transformed, holding Emma in one hand, and she discovered a pair of handcuffs on her! Prowl wasn't aware of this until after Lockdown had put a pair of proper stasis cuffs on the clone, and made a call.

"Lockdown to Megatron."

Prowl gasped. "You...you're working for Megatron?!"

"Who do you think issued that bounty?" Lockdown asked him. "Autobots?"

"Lockdown," Megatron said, from the holographic communication from Lockdown's wrist. "I should have known you'd be going after Starscream, and..."

"I got the kid, too." Lockdown said, holding up his other hand where Emma, with her hands out in front of her in their cuffs, glared at Megatron.

"_You placed a bounty on _Starscream's_ head_?!" She yelled suddenly. "_And now _I'm _kidnapped as well?! You are _so_ gonna regret it when I get there, I'm gonna make Unicron and his fury look like _nothing_!_"

Megatron didn't say anything, and Lockdown took this as his cue to get a mouth-tie around Emma.

"Mmhmm-nng-mm!" She glared up at Lockdown.

"I hope you're ready to fork over that bounty." Lockdown told Megatron. "Cause' I got both of them right here."

"Where can we meet?" Megatron wanted to know.

"There's a big abandoned warehouse in old Detroit, I like," Lockdown told him. "I'm sending the coordinates now."

The clone came back online, and whimpered: "Don't take me to Megatron, please, anything but Megatron..."

"Don't worry," Prowl said firmly, the EMP Generator pointed straight at Lockdown from behind him. "You're not _going_ to Megatron...neither is Emma..."

Lockdown activated a rope attack from his right wrist, and succeeded in tying Prowl up by surprise. As Prowl was rendered helpless, Lockdown turned to face him. "Yeah, they are...Megatron pays _way_ better than the Elite Guard..." He held up Emma. "And, this little lady's got one of the highest bounties in the _universe_...soon as I get back with my reward, you and I are gonna have a little spark-to-spark..."

Prowl looked up in shock, as Lockdown tied a chain to the Starscream's back legs and then attached it to his bumper - he then transformed and threw Emma inside his alt. mode. "No! _Emma_!"

* * *

Emma had turned her full-glare on when they reached the warehouse, as Lockdown held onto her and handed the clone over to Megatron.

"So, Starscream, the traitor...it has a nice ring to it..." Megatron said.

"Mmhmm-mm-ngg-mmhmm!" Emma began struggling then, and Lockdown tightened his grip on her.

Megatron looked at them. "And, Angel...how nice to see you again..."

"Angel?" Lockdown suddenly held her up and looked at her.

She looked at him.

Something clicked in her mind, at the same time as it clicked for Lockdown, and he recognized her, and she thought that he looked familiar.

"Yes, this is Angel," Megatron said. "She looks a tad different, i must admit, but..."

Just then, there was a small sound from behind him and, to everybody's shock, Prowl was there.

With his cover blown, he jumped down and prepared to attack, despite Lockdown's warnings.

Prowl's gaze was fixed on Emma. Her hazel eyes were wide, and he _hated_ the way she was gagged and cuffed like this.

Just then, there was the sound of sirens, and Optimus and Ratchet crashed through the walls, creating a Mexican stand-off between Autobots and Decepticons.

"Let them go, Megatron!" Optimus said, holding up his battle-axe.

Emma struggled again. Lockdown said: "If you bots don't mind, I'm gonna take my bounty and run?" He tightened his grip on Emma.

Just then, Bulkhead came in through the hole in the wall, carrying on his back...another Starscream?!

He transformed, holding up the cream and orange clone in front of him.

"_What in the name of the All-Spark_?!" Megatron cried.

"Nn-mm-ngg-nn-hmm!" Emma struggled some more. She suddenly succeeded in getting the gag off of her mouth, and cried: "Neither of them is Starscream! It's a trap!" She kicked up with her left leg then, snapping back Lockdown's fingers and breaking free of his grip as she jumped away, glad that her hands were out in front of her as she used her forearms to break her fall. She landed on the ground, and got up shakily.

Just then, the clones' built-in-time-bombs were activated, and Starscream's voice said, from somewhere: "Very _good_, my little Angel, as always! I allowed these fools to capture my clones to fulfill my plans to eliminate them! You, however, have your built in ability shield yourself from such an attack, so afterwards I will come to reclaim you! And, Megatron, there's nothing you can do about it, you pompous fool!" Starscream laughed.

"I think not!" Megatron was furious. "Traitor!" He added, as he blasted a hole in the ceiling to escape through. He briefly considered taking Emma with him, but decided against it, considering the Autobots. She would be fine - she had her shield. "Decepticons! Transform and rise up!"

As they were leaving, the Autobots wondered about what they would do. Prowl then came up with an idea to remove the explosion, by using his new mods to rocket the clones and their time-bombs high up enough into the sky, where they would detonate (hopefully) harmlessly. He set it up swiftly, knowing that they had few precious seconds, and then yelled: "Take cover!" He grabbed Emma and shielded her from the power of the rocket, which carried the clones into the sky where their bombs were detonated.

The explosion caused car-alarms to go off, and dogs to start barking, but at least the city was safe.

The Autobots went outside, where Optimus finally used his battle-axe to cut away the chains linking Emma's cuffs.

"Thanks, Optimus." She said gratefully, as Prowl helped her to remove the cuffs and she rubbed at her sore wrists. "Guess I wasn't much help...but, what happened to Lockdown?"

As the others were commenting that Lockdown had escaped, Prowl received a call.

"What do you want, Lockdown?" He asked, irritated.

"How about that spark-to-spark now, kid? I'm kinda thinking, you and I are like kindred spirits, you know?" Lockdown's voice said.

Emma frowned, and stood up in Prowl's hand. Putting her hands on Prowl's chest-plate and leaning up so that Lockdown could hear her better over the com-link, she said: "No, Lockdown, you two _aren't_! All that over-modification stuff you bounty hunters go for, it's strictly for _weak_ processors, and Prowl's got _way_ more honor than you'll _ever_ have!" She glanced up at him. "I hope he knows that."

Prowl smiled.

"Aww, don't be that way, Angel," Lockdown said. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Optimus; Ratchet and Bulkhead looked shocked.

Prowl decided to intervene just then. "Emma's right, Lockdown. Playing with your toys may have been fun but, in the end, it just wasn't me." His tone changed. "Do _not_ contact me again. Unless you have a strong desire to be captured and turned over to the Elite Guard." He cut out the communication, and then placed Emma on his shoulder so that he could hand the EMP Generator back to Ratchet. "Thank you for lending me this. However...I _don't_ believe I'll be needing it again."

Ratchet took his EMP Generator back, nodding and smiling slightly.

Emma sighed. "Prowl...I think _we_ may need to have a little heart-to-spark...there's something I need to to tell you..."

* * *

In the control room of the Nemesis, Starscream sat in a chair, watching Megatron put out a transmission to all Decepticons telling them that he was raising Starscream's bounty, so long as they got the _real_ Starscream! He didn't mention anything about Angel, however.

Starscream had Emma's scarf in one hand, which kept him calm although he still yelled that he would get his revenge on Megatron, and...he had _plenty_ of clones to spare...

* * *

Emma and Prowl (in his holoform) lay on the roof of the base, looking up at the stars.

"Prowl, what _am_ I?" Emma asked, as Scuz-Bag dozed nearby. "Megatron seems to think I'm this long-lost femme named Angel, but could this be true?" The stars became blurry in her vision, as tears came to her eyes. "Vampires are real, and they're after me too...what's gonna happen to me?" She wanted to know.

Prowl propped himself up on one elbow, and looked at Emma. "Emma, no matter _what_ happens, I _won't_ do what I did today...you almost got captured because of me, and for that I am _truly_ sorry...I don't..._ever_ want anything to happen to you...whether it be by my fault or somebody else's...I _will_ protect you...I...I _care_ about you..."

Emma stared at him, blushing slightly. Her heart was pounding, the way it _usually_ did when he got too close, but it was in no way uncomfortable. "I...I care about you two..." She said, in a voice that was about a notch above silence. "You...you're...o-one of the b-bravest mechs I've ever met...you...you're kind and s-smart and h-handsome...h-human men don't seem to like me, b-but..." She was bright red by this stage. _What am I _saying_? Am I confessing to the guy?!_

Prowl looked at her. He really had the most amazing blue eyes. "I can't see why...you're intelligence and kindness and beauty should have _any_ sensible man falling all over you...then again...you...seem to have to ability to drive a sensible mech insane..." His amazing eyes sparkled.

"Is that a bad thing?" Emma asked him, in that same whisper. He was leaning over her by this stage, one hand on either side of her head, and the side of his body was pressed up against hers.

"If it is..." Prowl leaned towards her. "Then, I don't want to be right..."

Prowl's lips against hers sent a thrill of electricity and fire through her, stronger than Jazz's had and for what reason, Emma didn't know. At that moment, all that mattered was the fact that, right then and there, something in the universe clicked. It had clicked before, but now it was just that much closer to clicking into place...the cool air blew around them, but there was a warmth radiating from both their chests, as their sparks began to beat in unison. There was something so _right_ about the moment, so beautiful, that those who were watching were stunned into silence.

Well, Scuz-Bag was _always_ silent, but he was also wide-eyed as he watched his mistress kiss the cyber-ninja.

Sari and Bumblebee, peering through the doorway that led to the rooftop, were speechless, but grinning - because they were happy to see Emma and Prowl together, but also because they planned to take the Mickey out of them, later on...

Watching from a nearby building, Blackarachnia had a _different_ train of thought, however. "Why?" She whispered, able to see quite clearly what was going on. "Why does _she_ get to have her spark-partner, and I..." She clutched at her chest, feeling the old, familiar pain well up inside of her. "I can't...if I can't have my spark-partners, then..." Her red optics flashed. "I won't let _anybody_ have theirs! I _won't_ let you have this, Emma!"

* * *

The next day, Sari and Bumblebee were grinning like Cheshire Cats, but Emma didn't have a chance to ask them about it, when there was an alert saying that Nanosec had just committed a robbery.

"Autobots!" Optimus ordered. "Transform and roll out!"

They did so, and Sari climbed into Bumblebee's alt mode. Emma, in a grey singlet; black tights and black knee boots, jumped onto Prowl's alt mode, and a helmet appeared over her head (that miracle of modern Cybertronian science).

"Let's roll!" Emma and Prowl said in unison.

Sari and Bumblebee had to laugh, because they had seen what had happened last night and found it cute (but, also hilarious) that Emma and Prowl were now speaking in unison.

"Would you two please _focus_?!" Emma and Prowl asked them, which only made the two best friends laugh even harder.

* * *

The Autobots soon located Nanosec, whom was swiftly skating away with his stolen loot, and Bumblebee posed the question: "How come he looks young again?"

Sari shrugged: "Hmm, - wrinkle cream?"

"If it worked like that, kiddo, then I'd be using a whole ton of the stuff!" Emma told her, through the com-link.

Prowl commented that Emma didn't _need_ any wrinkle cream. He also added that this high-speed pursuit was posing a danger to innocent organics, making Emma think back to _G1_.

Optimus agreed, and told Bumblebee to take a side-street and cut Nanosec off. Bumblebee, of course, didn't listen, but Emma knew that he wasn't expecting Slo-Mo's power. It hit him, and caused him to stop. Emma felt the familiar tingle in her chest, and resisted the urge to yell out to Slo-Mo to give her the All-Spark Fragment.

Bumblebee's stopping caused the other Autobots to crash into him. Bulkhead hit a pole; Optimus hit him; Prowl _nearly_ hit Bumblebee; and Emma found herself facing the back of Prowl, with one leg over the handlebars and her forearms resting on the seat of the motorcycle, to avoid being crushed since he'd screeched to a stop right next to Bumblebee.

"_B-Bumblebee_!" Emma gasped, feeling like Woody did in the first _Toy Story_, where the truck's wheel stopped about an _inch_ from his face...

Bumblebee regained movement and drove forwards before turning around. "Oh, those oughta buff...right out?" He said lamely, as Emma jumped down onto the pavement and leaned over Prowl, examining the scratches on his left side.

"Bumblebee, you disobeyed my order!" Optimus told him, transforming so that he could _glare_ at the little yellow speedster. "I called for a flanking maneuver! We're supposed to work as a team!"

"Well, a team's gotta go with the best player, right?" Bumblebee protested, as Prowl transformed and Emma sat on his shoulder. "Or, at least the _fastest_..."

"Then, why did you hit your breaks?" Prowl asked him.

"I _didn't_." Bumblebee told him. "I'm...well, I'm not sure _what_ happened...but, if you hadn't been tailgating me, you wouldn't need to have those dents pounded out!"

"Mmhmm," Prowl said. "So, now you're shifting the blame to us?"

Emma just sighed, but was secretly happy. Compared to Vampires and not knowing what she really was, this was actually kind of fun!

Optimus said that they were heaidng back, and that he was going to ask Ratchet to do some repairs, as well as to diagnose Bumblebee's drive-train!

"What - you think this was _my_ fault?!" Bumblebee couldn't believe it.

The others transformed, and Emma was sitting astride Prowl again.

"If the hubcap fits..." Emma and Prowl sang in unison. Emma giggled.

"Fine," Bumblebee muttered. "Then I'll just go find Nanosec on my own..."

"But, you guys are a team!" Sari reminded him.

"Which is why I can't let them think their star player's losing his touch!" Bumblebee sped off in a different direction.

* * *

Emma was fairly walking on sunshine a few days later - she and Prowl were almost always together, and had spent the rest of that morning watching a nature documentary that sounded like it was voiced by Sir. David Attenborough and was about Australian wildlife including echidnas, and she'd trained with Victoria in the early afternoon, and actually been able to perform a perfect backflip. She was in high spirits, as she walked home from where Sai had dropped her off, and was practically _dancing_ across the street.

"_Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face_

_My feelings can't describe it_

_Finally it has happened to me right in front of my face and_

_I just can not hide it_..." She sang, but part of her was thinking about Jazz, too, and wondering what was going to happen...the connection she felt...it was so strange, but it was the same for both Prowl and Jazz although, obviously, she knew Prowl _better_...but, that didn't mean that she _liked_ him more, or...did it?

Emma had no idea...

She was so deep in thought that she ended up walking into somebody, and exclaimed: "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She suddenly looked up into his eyes, and gasped, feeling her blood run cold. "S-Starscream?!" She cried, attempting to back away but he grabbed her wrists.

"Hello, Angel." Starscream said, smiling in his holoform's handsome state.

Emma attempted to remember how to breathe just then, and said: "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was in the neighbourhood and thought that I'd drop by..." He told her.

She gulped. "O-oh, is that so?" She looked around her. _Damn it! Where are they when I need them?!_ "Umm, S-Starscream?" She stammered.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her (he was quite a bit taller than she was).

She tried not to look at him. "Qu-question...umm...s-so, M-Megatron says that I'm th-this _Angel_...w-was I from Cybertron, or...?"

"No." Starscream said flatly, looking at her intently. "You were _not_ from Cybertron, you are _not_ Cybertronian, and there is _no_ way that you ever _will_ be!" His red eyes flashed. "You really don't remember?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "N-no...except...I recall...things...every time I absorb an All-Spark Fragment..." She suddenly noticed something. "_Why_ are you wearing my scarf, Mister? I was wondering what had happened to it..."

Starscream smirked. "You don't mind if I _keep_ it, _do_ you?" He asked her.

"Uh, well, I..." Emma stammered, finally looking into his scarlet eyes. _Whoa..._ She thought, and her hands glowed, as did a mark on Starscream's forehead. She blinked. "Do we..._know_ each other...from...before..." She gasped. "Could you have perhaps been somebody very important to me?!"

Starscream stared at her. _Remember me, Angel...please..._ Starscream thought.

Just then, there was the sound of sirens, and Emma gasped again. "Go!" She urged Starscream, knowing what was happening.

He looked at her.

She sighed. "_Unless_ you want to be captured again, _before_ you can take out Megatron? For some odd reason, I _don't_ want you to get caught, so _go_!" She told him, before running off down the street towards the sound of the sirens.

Starscream transformed and flew off in the other direction, never really able to refuse an order from her, but all the while thinking: _Just be patient, Starscream...she'll remember...she'll come back to you..._

* * *

Emma ran down a street and turned right, coming onto another road in time to see four adults and one little kid throw a lot of stuff into an SUV, and then make their getaway. Sirens wailed in the background.

"Swindle?" Emma guessed, staring as the car disappeared around a corner. "Yikes..." She suddenly spotted Sari and Bumblebee, as they showed up too late. She hurried over to them.

"The perps couldn't have gotten _too_ far!" Bumblebee was saying. "They're on foot!"

"No, they're not!" Emma exclaimed, running up to them. "I saw them take off in an SUV!"

"Well, that's just _great_..." Bumblebee said, sarcastically.

"Let's follow them!" Sari exclaimed.

* * *

They discovered, of course, that the criminals were stealing all sorts of cables and electrical things, and Bumblebee said that they'd tail them until they found out...then, take them down!

"Shouldn't we call the others for backup?" Emma asked.

"No!" Bumblebee said, quickly. "You saw the way they all treated me yesterday! I have to _remind_ them that I've still got what it takes!"

"To what? Get us all into danger?" Sari sighed. "Okay, I trust you." She shrugged.

Bymblebee said: "So, Emma, about you and Prowl..."

Emma leaned over, hooked up her MP3 Player to Bumblebee's alt mode, and turned on _Long Live The Weekend_, singing along with The Living End.

"_Workin' for a man that you don't understand so forget it_

_Spendin' all your dough where you know as soon as you get it_

_Wastin' your time on an assembly line you want out of it_..."

"That's Emma-Talk for 'shut up and leave me alone'." Sari told Bumblebee.

Bumblebee sighed. "Good song, though."

"Yeah."

* * *

They were silent about fifteen minutes later, however, as they watched the criminals - SUV, the Society Of Ultimate Villainy - set up their weird-looking machine, and Emma knew what it did but Sari and Bumblebee didn't.

Emma propped herself up on her elbows, and watched as the SUV transformed into the Decepticon, Swindle.

"_That's_ a true Decepti_con_." Emma commented.

"We gotta call Prime!" Sari exclaimed from behind her binoculars. "Get some backup!"

"Yeah, right, right," Bumblebee smiled a special smile at Sari. "I'll do that...but, first, I'm gonna take these creeps down myself!"

"Which, _pretty_ much defeats the purpose of it, aye?" Emma rolled her eyes. "Hey, he has purple optics - what does that mean?" She was starting to wonder about the colour of optics - blue and red; violet and yellow...

"It probably means that he can see in ultra-violet light or something!" Sari grabbed Emma's hand. "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

As Bumblebee sped up onto the other rooftop, Sari suddenly noticed Slo-Mo's slow-down ray, and told Bumblebee that he had to get out of there - she _certainly_ didn't want him to get slowed down again!

Bumblebee slammed on the brakes and then reversed, back into the above-ground carpark in the building, and Sari and Emma jumped out.

Sari was angry, now.

"Okay, no more arguing!" Her pigtails stood on end. "You either call for backup, or _I_ do it _for_ you!"

Emma was so proud of her, right then. She was also smiling. Swindle, she could handle, so long as he didn't have fangs. She also thought that, since she'd kissed Prowl, she could see love in other places, too...like, with Sari and Bumblebee for example...

"Fine." Bumblebee caved in, and transformed, activating his com-link. "Bumblebee to Prime...we've got a situation here...huh? Prowl? What? Yes, Emma's fine!" Bumblebee rolled his optics. "How did you even know she was _here_?!"

* * *

It soon became apparent, though, that the enemy in which they were dealing with was quite skilled at what he was doing - Swindle used his new invention to shut down all electro-mechanical devices in the city...including the Autobots!

Sari gasped, as Bumblebee was seemingly frozen, whilst he was saying: "I'm losing power..."

Emma gasped, and closed her eyes, trying to establish her connection with Prowl, whatever it was. _Oh my God!_ She thought. _This is bad!_

She sensed whatever connection she had with him, and sensed that he was unable to move or do anything.

_We'll help you...Sari and I, we'll...well, you know that you can count on us!_ Emma thought, taking a deep breath and hoping that Prowl could hear her, or at least _sense_ her thoughts. She still wasn't quite sure how these things worked. _Just...sit tight...well, I guess that's pretty much all that's left for you to do...don't worry, just leave it to us..._

Emma suddenly opened her eyes, and saw that Sari had realised that the lights in Sumdac Tower were still on, and that the emergency force-field must have kicked in before the slow-down wave hit.

"You're gonna be okay, Bumblebee!" Sari told him. "I just gotta get you to the tower!" She tried to push.

"Uh, Sari..." Emma scratched the nail of her index finger along her thumb.

The little girl was not listening to her. "Oh, you sure picked a lousy time to go solo!" Sari sighed, still trying to move Bumblebee but to no avail. "Oh, if only we still had a team!"

"Mayhap you do!" An English accent said.

Emma hurried over to Sari, as they realised that the SUV were there - the Angry Archer, whom had spoken; Slo-Mo; Nanosec; and Professor Princess.

"We wanna give Swindle a little payback for his double-cross." Nanosec explained, as Sari and Emma just stared at them.

"So, we thought, why not join forces with you two and your little Autobot friend?" Slo-Mo, despite her name, spoke very quickly, and seemed to be standing closer to Nanosec than seemed normal.

_Ah..._ Emma thought, trying not to smile.

"Uh, no offense, but you're a bunch of lowlife crooks!" Sari exclaimed. "Why should we trust you?!"

"Because," Professor Princess proclaimed. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend!"

Nanosec looked at her."What?"

* * *

Of course, they had no choice, and so all six of them worked together to push Bumblebee to Sumdac Tower, encouraging each other.

"Put your back into it!" Angry Archer exclaimed.

"Honestly, you men aren't trying as hard as we women are!" Slo-Mo snapped.

"Sorry, I'll try harder!" Nanosec apologized.

"No giving up!" Professor Princess cried.

"This is _so_ unorthodox!" Sari complained, as she used her key to let them through the forcefield and inside.

"We can always turn them in once this is over." Emma whispered to her.

"Hey!" The criminals cried.

Well, sort of...

Somehow, they managed to make it to the tower, and Emma remembered that it was the first time that Sari had been back since being kicked out.

To make matters worse, the receptionist said: "Welcome to Powell Tower."

"_Powell_ Tower?!" Sari exclaimed, just as Bumblebee came back online.

"Aurgh..." He groaned, holding his head as he sat up. "It was horrible...I could hear and see everything...but I couldn't talk! Couldn't move!"

"Yes, it was _lovely_..." Emma told him, and he groaned again.

Sari said that Bumblebee was safe from the slow-down ray in here, but Bumblebee wanted to know how to stop Swindle out there, and Sari said that they'd take the force-field to Swindle.

Being the smart little cookie that she was, she was able to give Bumblebee full-bodied protection against the slow-down ray.

Emma thought that Sari would make a fine President of Sumdac Systems when she got older...

"Hey, what about us?" Nanosec asked.

"No way," Bumblebee grinned. "I work solo..."

"You're gonna need backup!" Sari told him. "And, right now, they're all we've got!"

Bumblebee took one look at the criminals, and groaned for a third time. "Oh...okay..." He caved in, unable to say no to Sari...

They criminals were soon ready to go, but there was just _one_ last thing Sari had left to do, and Emma let her do it because, really, it was the _right thing_ to do.

The receptionist was _now_ programed to say: "Welcome to Sumdac Tower - Porter C. Powell is a booger-head!"

It was childish, it was probably illegal...and, nobody cared!

* * *

The SUV and Bumblebee set out to take down Swindle, attacking him with their weapons that they could _now_ use thanks to Sari's giving them the force-field ability. She had been smart enough to be able to transfer it to all of them - which probably came from growing up around machines.

As Swindle was being attacked, Emma and Sari made their way over to the machine which had shut down all of the electro-magnetic devices in Detroit.

"Heeeey," Sari grinned. "Where's the _off-switch_ on this thing? Oh, yeah, here!" she used her key to shut the thing down, despite Swindle's protests.

"Oh, sorry Swindle, baby, did we mess up your plans?" Emma placed herself between Sari and Swindle.

Swindle stared down at her. "_A-Angel_?!" He exclaimed.

Emma smiled. "In the..._flesh_..." She then jumped up, swinging her leg up in her kick-punch combo, and following through with the punch, pushing him over the wall and following him through as they both crashed to the ground but, luckily, he broke her fall. "Whoa..." She whispered.

"Emma?!" She heard Sari call.

"I'm..._okay_!" She called back.

"How?!"

"My fall was broken...by my spine..." Violin music played from the shop across the street, which had just gotten its power back.

"You mean by...me..." Swindle came back online, and grabbed Emma, whom had been standing on his chest-plate.

"You know, this is the _second_ time this has happened to me in just under a fortnight?!" Emma told him. "You put the 'con' in Decepticon, you know that?!"

Swindle actually laughed. "I take that as a compliment, same as I did the _first_ time you said that to me!"

She just stared at him, and then they heard from up on the roof Bumblebee saying that they were going to destroy the time-piece.

"Not so fast!" Nanosec exclaimed. "This ticker belongs to my girl, Slo-Mo!"

"I _knew_ it!" Emma smiled, despite the fact that she was in the hand of a Decepticon. "How cute! Too bad they've turned on Bumblebee...stop smiling about it, Swindle!" She scolded him, just as the time-piece came flying over the edge of the roof, and she caught it. "Ah!" She cried, startled.

Swindle smirked. "This is turning out better than I though!" He mused.

"Well, not for _me_!"

"Swindle's got the time-piece, and Emma!" Sari told Bumblebee. "We've gotta stop him!"

"All taken care of." He suddenly told her, smiling, as Optimus; Ratchet; Bulkhead and Prowl showed up. "Thanks to my _real_ team..." He turned to the SUV. "And, as for _you_ guys..."

* * *

"Spread out!" Optimus told his team. "We don't know what this Decepticon is capable of!"

"Funny you should mention that..." Swindle said, and attempted to take the time-piece away from Emma.

She gasped. "No! No, no, _no_!" She clung onto it, and some of the All-Spark's energy, recognizing her, began to get drawn into her. "_Ah_!" She cried, suddenly getting a flashback of memories, and she was thrown out of Swindle's grasp by a small spark of power from her own hands.

She landed safely in Bumblebee's hands - he had just arrived on the scene to help his _real_ team - and he used his electric powers at the same time that Emma accidentally unleashed the time-piece's power, and the combination sent Swindle into his vehicle mode, _and_ locked him in it!

Bumblebee approached Swindle.

"Use caution, Bumblebee!" Prowl exclaimed, mindful of the fact that Bumblebee had Emma with him. "He may still pose a danger!"

"Nah, he's stuck in park for good." Bumblebee explained, before using his electric powers to let down one of Swindle's tires. "Aww, and he's got a flat, too!"

As Bumblebee spoke to the other Autobots, accepting that he'd learned a lesson about team-work, Emma approached Swindle, and retrieved the time-piece.

More memories flooded into her...

"I know that you can hear me," she whispered to him and, indeed, he could! "You'll probably end up escaping sometime but, if you see my white cyber-ninja Elite Guard mate, Jazz, please take it easy on him! Also...you're not that bad...just a tad shady...heh, if I _ever_ figure what the Hell I _really_ am, maybe we weren't even meant to be enemies in the _first_ place...maybe the Decepticons _aren't_ my real enemies after all..."


	16. Spark Partners

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

ringo-tensai - thanks for supporting my story, your reviews mean a lot to me!

WingBladeWeaver1357 (author of an AWESOME story called _The One And Only_) - yeah, I think Swindle's a tad misunderstood, he's not really evil, just an intergalactic arms dealer and a one-robot black market, lol. Thanks for the fav!

Magical Princess - you'll have to wait and see...

anonomon - thanks for thanking me for thanking you, lol. I appreciate your support.

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Spark Partners

* * *

_Twelve years ago..._

_Emma glared at her homework, wishing that it would do itself and then, knowing that it wouldn't, she went into her sister's room to ask for her help. Sarah was older, and so she _must_ have done this work before. If Lee and Bruce weren't out on a walk, then Emma would have asked them - she didn't really like going near her sister right now, ever since Sarah had started high-school, she had..._changed_. She had even pushed Emma over the other day, for asking to play on the Sony Playstation._

_Now, Emma went into the blue room with the _black_ ceiling (which, Emma and her best friend Krystal thought was _totally_ cool, not that they'd do it), to find that her sister wasn't there, but that she'd left her desk lamp on._

_Emma went over to switch it off, and noticed..._

_"Oh, wow!" She exclaimed, picking up the little collectable card that sat on the desk. These days, _Digimon_ was all the rage, and Emma and her friends often played games based on the TV show at school. Emma's favourite Digimon happened to be Patamon, and it was his card that she held in her hand right now. It was so cute! Emma glanced around. "I wonder if...she'll let me keep it...?"_

_Just then, Sarah came back into the room._

_"What are you doing?!" She asked angrily, in a tone that she had been losing lately but one that Emma was not entirely used to just yet._

_"N-nothing," Emma stammered. Then: "Oh, you got the Patamon card out of the Flora Butter! But, Mum said that _I_ could have it!" Lee _hadn't_, but it _sounded_ good and, Emma thought, Lee would have said yes had she known the circumstances. "You can have the next _two_, plus my Biyomon card, okay?"_

_"No, now get the Hell out of my room!" Sarah advanced on her sister. She had been given Hell at school today, and she had no power whatsoever over the people at school. However..._

_"Oh, _please_, can I keep it?!" Emma begged._

_"No!"_

_"But..."_

_What happened next shocked Emma, and scarred her for then on afterwards. Her beloved older sister - the one she had gone to Bali with; giggled with in the backseat of the car as they played with their stuffed animals on the long drives down to the coast; the sister she had tagged along with and adored and idolized - _hit_ her. Her fist connected with the side of the little twelve-year-old's head, and the force and shock of it sent Emma tumbling to the (thankfully) carpeted floor. The Patamon card tumbled from her hand and, for a moment, she lay there, her head throbbing and a shocked feeling making her feel numb._

_Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Get up!" She said, picking up the card and then going to sit at her desk. "Get the Hell out of my room!" She added._

_Emma picked herself up slowly, and then hurried out of the room, running down the hall to her bedroom and climbing up onto her single bunk bed, burying her face into the pillow and dissolving in tears._

_"Keep it down!" Sarah yelled._

_Emma grabbed a few of her stuffed animals, a dinosaur and a cat, and used them to muffle her whimpering. She closed her eyes, and saw an image that she vaguely recognized...those ninja-robots, again? But, once again, when she tried to focus on it, they vanished..._

* * *

"Emma? Emma?!"

Emma jumped about a mile, and then looked up to see Prowl gazing down at her. They were sitting side-by-side on a mat underneath the tree in his room, and had been meditating. Well, _Prowl_ had been meditating...Emma, on the other hand, had been dredging up painful memories form the past, and she wondered why she could only ever seem to remember the bad things? She'd been having nightmares, recently...about Vampires and castles, for sure, but also about things that had happened in her childhood. Her Nanna's death; being bullied and almost sexually harassed during year eight; being stabbed in the back (not literally) by a so-called friend...

"I'm sorry, what?" Emma blinked up at him.

Prowl swiftly analyzed the feelings emitting from Emma, and was surprised when he got a brick wall. He tried again, and his subconscious was nearly thrown backwards by the barrage of barriers he got.

He considered this, and the look on her face. Either she was really good at keeping things in, or wasn't even aware that she was blocking him. Or, both...

Either way, Prowl knew he had to do something...

Prowl suddenly grabbed Emma's hand.

"Uh?" She glanced up at him.

"Let's go." He said, looking down at her.

"Go?" She repeated. "Go where?"

"Go out." He told her. "Anywhere. Together." He added, blushing at that last part, and then dragging her out of his room, where he transformed and, taking the hint, she jumped on-board.

As they sped out of the base, the other Autobots watched them go.

"Where...are those two going in such a hurry?" Bumblebee blinked.

Sari glanced up, and then at the TV, where she was watching a live broadcast. A mischievous grin came over her face. "I'll bet I know..." She jumped up. "Come on!"

* * *

As Emma and Prowl cruised through the streets, taking the freeway which, for once, was allowing them to do the speed limit (100), Emma dared to ask: "Hey, Prowl - that guy from yesterday, the one Bumblebee was talking to? He seemed...important...right?"

* * *

_~Flashback To Yesterday~_

_Emma walked into the main control room, looking for Scuz. He had gotten into the mealworm supply, again, and now Emma betted that he was rolling around in agony somewhere, with a too-full tummy._

_"Hey, guys?!" She called, seeing the Autobots all crowded around the monitor. "Have you seen Scuz-Bag? Because he's...in...trouble...?" She trailed off, as Bumblebee stepped aside, to reveal that they were communicating with somebody._

_A grey and aqua bot with a white face stared at Emma from the monitor, with seemingly innocent aqua-blue optics, but Emma was looking at the red orb on his forehead, and putting two-and-two together, as only she ever could..._

_Shockwave!_

_"Ah!" She cried, looking around wildly. "S-sorry, never mind!" She looked around again, embarrassed. _Yikes, it's him - the double-agent, and I can't even tell them!

_The bot on-screen spoke. "Who is...this...?" He sounded genuinely interested._

I'll bet, Megatron's probably told him about me!_ Emma thought, in a panic. She nodded her head quickly. "I-I'm Ange-Emma!" She said quickly, and glanced up - yup, sure enough, there was the briefest, if not the faintest, glimmer in the double-agent's optics, but he was so good at concealing his emotions by that stage that, if you hadn't been looking for it, then you wouldn't have seen it. Even then, Emma wasn't so sure. "A-anyway, gotta go - gotta find my...echidna!" She hightailed it out of the room, and could be heard exclaiming: "What the Hell is _wrong_ with me!" From all the way down the hallway._

_~End Of Flashback~_

* * *

"So...who _was_ that guy?" Emma wanted to know, like she didn't already know.

"His name is Long-Arm Prime." Prowl responded, turning left onto Newcastle Street, which reminded Emma of her TAFE - she hadn't even _thought_ about her graphic design as of late! "He's the head of Cybertron Intelligence."

"Whoa..." Emma nodded. "_Impressive_..." Her grin was visible beneath her helmet. "Then again, there's something impressive about this whole situation, ever since I came here...even _with_ the Vampires, I feel like I'm doing a lot more than before, and not just being there for the sake of being alive...coming here was the _best_ thing that's ever happened to me, Prowl..." She admitted, for the first time ever.

"I know _exactly_ what you mean, Emma," Prowl said, with feeling. "And, I'm glad our paths have crossed..." He added.

Emma blushed. "Ditto." She muttered, as they arrived at the park.

* * *

Prowl (in his holoform) and Emma, walked through the park and, was it just them, but were people glancing at them as they walked past? Prowl, in his usual attire, glanced suspiciously at the men they passed, his keen blue eyes picking up the subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle glances. For this reason alone, he took Emma's hand in his.

Emma wore a slightly long silver top that said 'love the be famous' in fancy scrawl, over a pair of black tights and black knee-boots. She was _very_ aware of the glances that Prowl got, because she was used to human behavior and knew what to look for. Still, she was surprised when Prowl took her hand, and glanced up at him, seeing an intense and slightly protective look on his face.

She didn't have time to dwell on it, however, because suddenly a bunch of pink balloons attacked them. Well, sort of.

"Hi!" The balloons said, in an Asian-accent, and a young girl with pigtails thrust a flyer at them. "Come test affection at contest! What await is eternal love! _Eternal love_!" She fairly screamed, and bounced away, her pigtails flying.

Prowl and Emma watched her go, both of them staring.

"Did we just...?" Prowl finally said.

"Encounter one of...?" Emma held the flyer in her hands.

"Mama Fuyano's relatives?" They said in unison.

"That's riiiight!" The relative called from afar, still in the mass of pink balloons. "Mama very worried about you two! So go! Enter contest! _Or else_!"

Emma and Prowl both jumped, and then looked at the flyer that Emma held.

"An Affection Contest?" Prowl stated, and Emma felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

Emma glanced up at Prowl, her hands shaking. "L-let's not and say we did?!" She suggested.

"Agreed." Prowl nodded firmly, taking her hand and about to guide her away, when a voice suddenly called both their names.

"Oh no." Emma muttered, right before she was glomped by her red-haired charge.

* * *

"S-Sari!" Emma protested, her face the colour of the little girl's hair, as they stood up onstage with the other girls. Prowl and Bumblebee and the other men stood on the opposite side of the host, a young teenaged girl with four blonde pigtails, like Temari from _Naruto_. "_H-how_ did I let you talk me into this?!"

"_Relax_!" Sari waved her hand reassuringly. "This'll be _fun_ - you'll see!"

"Some fun..." Emma muttered, rolling her eyes. She glanced up, and caught Prowl's gaze, and blushed. _Will I _ever_ get over this lack of confidence?!_

"Now!" The hostess cried. "Let's give a warm hand to our contestants in the Detroit Annual Affection Contest, where true love and determination triumph, and I get to get away from school for a few days! I'm your host, and let's not waste a moment - we have a schedule to keep!" Her amber eyes sparkled.

"Augh, she reminds me of somebot..." Bumblebee, in his blonde holoform, muttered. Suddenly, he noticed some girls in the crowd.

"Yoo-hoo, blondie!" One of them called, waving.

"You're so handsome!"

"What a cutie!"

"Ah...ha-ha!" Bumblebee waved self-consciously to them, not noticing Sari's angry glare.

She didn't have time to act on it, however, as she and Emma and the others were ushered offstage. They stood behind a large wall, where heart-shaped holes had been cut.

"Just put your hands through here," an attendant whispered, smiling. "And, hopefully, the man you came with will pick your hand!"

"Sari!" Emma hissed again, as the other girls rushed off, and Emma noticed the African-American from Isaac's party. _They're freaking everywhere!_ Her first thought was to get out but, she recalled, she'd managed to hold her own in a dance contest...she could handle this...right? "How did I ever let you talk me into this?!"

"I said that I would do your chores for a week?" Sari reminded her.

Emma blinked, and then said: "Make it _three_ months, and you got a deal, got it?"

Sari nodded, not realising that Emma's definition of chores included cleaning the _entire_ base, and they both ran to choose heart-shaped holes, hoping that their friends would pick them...

* * *

Bumblebee looked nervously at Prowl, and noticed how calm the cyber-ninja looked.

"Prowl, why are _you_ so calm?!" He scanned the hands of the female contestants. "Which one is Sari's?!"

"Which one do _you_ think?" Prowl asked quietly. "Take a long, hard, look."

Bumblebee nodded, and turned towards the wall, looking at the hands in a different light. "Okay...small...slightly copper-coloured...yellow nail polish...got it!" He lunged for the hand. "Sari?!"

"I'm over here!" Sari shrieked, her face bright red behind the wall from where she stood two panels away. "_That's_ one of Charlie's bitchy friends!"

"Sari!" Emma scolded Sari's choice of words (even though she agreed), at the same time the girl (Yacinta) cried: "Hey!"

Bumblebee yanked his hand back, and grabbed the only other copper-coloured hand. "A-ha! _This_ one is Sari's!" He smirked.

"It doesn't count when the answer is already revealed." The hostess rolled her eyes.

"That's nothing to be smug about, either..." Prowl face-palmed, and then looked out over the remaining hands. Two other people had chosen - if he didn't choose now, then he would be eliminated, along with somebody else.

Prowl focused on the hands...all of them looked strangely similar...but, only _one_ was radiating an uncertain and terrified aura at the situation at hand (no pun intended).

Plus, that was the _only_ hand with shredded fingernails.

Smiling, Prowl walked over and selected the hand - it was soft and yet slightly calloused, just the way he knew that it would be. "Emma?" He asked, softly, slightly amused when the owner of the hand jumped.

"Y-yes?" She stammered, as the panel swung open to reveal the red-faced girl with maroon hair. "Y-yes! It's me, P-Prowl!" She stammered, and went to stand by his side. He squeezed her hand reassuringly - she really _did_ have very soft hands...

Sari gave her the thumbs up, before returning to glaring at Bumblebee.

As the hostess announced those that would be proceeding to the next round, she picked up a big box of colourful bandannas.

"It's time for one of everybody's _favourite_ events!" She exclaimed, and the crowd suddenly cheered, along with Sari, because they knew what was going on. "The Trust-Me-To-Lead-You-To-Safety-And-Not-Get-You-Killed Game!" She waved top the crowd.

Emma and Prowl exchanged a glance, and didn't notice the two figures watching them...

* * *

Starscream was aware of Blackarachnia, of course, and she was aware of him, but neither of them chose to approach the other, and instead opted to watch the obstacle course from afar.

Blackarachnia was..._surprised_ - was this sort of thing even _legal_?

Organics were _weird_, in her latest opinion...

Starscream was impressed, and was absolutely hoping that Prowl (and, even Bumblebee) would die...it seemed highly likely...

The female contestants had to verbally guide their partners through a series of obstacles, and the male contestants were blindfolded. The female contestants hung in there...

It started off simple enough - crawling under a rope net. Everybody made it through that. They ran forwards, then...

"STOP!" Each female contestant yelled, as the guillotines **(A/N: Spelt that right on the first try!)** swung forwards, directly in their path.

"_O-kay_..._not_ very legal..." Blackarachnia decided...

Sari grabbed Emma's hand, and then yelled: "Bumblebee! Grab hold of Prowl's hand!"

"Wha-?"  
"Do as I say!"

Bumblebee did so.

"Okay!" Sari looked up at Emma, her eyes shining. "It's all up to you - _show_ us that ninja-style!"

"Right now I'm wishing that it was _Gangnam_ Style, kiddo!" Emma swallowed, and then looked at Prowl. He was standing and waiting, attentively - waiting for her orders.

Meanwhile, another contestant decided to dive through without the aid of his partner, and nearly got his back sliced open.

"Ooh!" The crowd cringed, but they were glad to see that the guy was okay, even if his shirt was a little bit ripped.

* * *

Emma, still trying to figure out how she'd ended up here in the first place, closed her eyes, and thought about, well, about Prowl.

_Connection...is there some..._connection_, that I have to him?_ She thought, desperately, and clenched her free fist. _IS there?_

She suddenly felt a pulling at her mind, and hesitated, until she realised how _gentle_ the pulling was. She allowed it, and was startled to feel Prowl's subconscious in her own.

_Emma?_ Prowl was perfectly calm, even the slightest bit amused, and didn't seem at all put out by the watching crowd. _It's okay...open your eyes, and I'll be able to see..._

_I...I can hear you?!_ She gulped, and gripped Sari's hand. _Okay..._ "Okay!" She said, out-loud, and opened her eyes, taking in the swinging guillotines, their motion and, she was surprised by it, the fact that she could _sense_ their movements.

Another couple had made it through, although his pointy, Johnny Bravo hairstyle was now cut off.

"Ah!" He cried, stunned.

"Eek..." The crowd chanted.

Emma sighed, and then noticed an opening. _Wait, how did I see that?_

Prowl, event hough he couldn't see past his blindfold, looked _directly_ at her, and then he moved, dragging Bumblebee along with him.

The blonde yelled and shouted, as blades sliced close to him, and swished close to his face, but they made it through.

"It's not over yet!" The hostess was clearly enjoying this.

"It's _not_?!" Emma and Sari groaned.

"Don't worry, Sari, we're coming!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Oh, yeah, I'm tied up and suspended over _lava_!" Sari shrieked. "Why would I be worried?!"

"Technically, it's a fiery pit of some sort of substance made to _resemble_ lava in every-way including _heat_!" Emma cried. "Prowl, hurry!"

"Stay calm, Emma!" Prowl called. "We're almost there!"

"Yeah!" Bumblebee added, still holding onto Prowl's hand as they ran. "I'm just about to...face my irrational and completely new-founded fear of spiders!" He cried, and then jumped into Prowl's arms. "Ya-aurgh!"

"What?!" Sari couldn't believe it. "Since when do you have a fear of spiders?! Or, of..._anything_?!"

"Since Halloween!" Bumblebee reminded them, and a certain spider-bot watching smirked. The pit of spiders (some poisonous, and most not) crawled around on the ground.

"I'm sure they're more afraid of you than you are of them!" Emma added. "Be the bot', Bumblebee! Uh, you too, Prowl!" _I can't believe that I'm yelling in public - aurgh!_

"Don't be afraid!" Sari added. "You're the bravest bot I've ever met - both of you are!"

Bumblebee suddenly lunged forwards, and ran, dragging Prowl along with him and flattening most of the spiders in his path. "_F-or Cyb-er-tr-on_!" Bumblebee yelled, in slow-motion (WTF?). He charged through the pit, impressing everybody, and a few of the guys followed him.

Then, Emma and Sari screeched: "STOP!"

A wall of fire erupted before the contestants, and they sensed the boiling hot flames. A few fled. Some stuck around.

Prowl and Bumblebee exchanged a blind glance.

"Now what?" Bumblebee whispered.

Prowl considered. Emma didn't really like speaking public. He thought to her: _Is there a way past the fire?_

She sounded hesitant. _Umm, how is this possible? You reading my thoughts...?_

_I'll explain later...do you trust me?_

_Prowl, I think the question is, 'do YOU trust ME?'._ Emma sounded wry. _Besides, there's no way around. Only through, or...over?_

Emma suddenly felt like Prowl had settled on a course of action and, as she and Sari watched, he and Bumblebee suddenly transformed into their robot modes, and everybody watching gasped in shock.

Keeping their optics offlined, Prowl and Bumblebee jumped right over the flames, some twenty feet into the air, and landed on the other side (Prowl landed on his feet, but Bumblebee toppled over). The crowd gasped in amazement.

Prowl then dashed forwards and cut the ropes suspending all of the girls, holding most of them dangling by their ropes in one hand, but he had Sari and Emma in the other hand.

The crowd cheered then, chanting something that nobody could quite hear, but it didn't matter.

The hostess was _thrilled_. "That was _so_ cool!" She proclaimed, as Prowl onlined his optics, and glanced at Emma. She was looking embarrassed, but was smiling.

Bumblebee onlined _his_ optics. "I...could've done that..." He muttered, going over to Prowl.

"I bet you could've." Sari agreed, loyally.

"Hey, that guy saved all _our_ girlfriends, too!" The other contestants complained, once they'd taken off their blindfolds.

_Yes...he did, didn't he?_ Starscream had his fists clenched by this stage...

* * *

_~Flashback~_

_Starscream arrived on Teramina ahead of schedule, because he had gone on ahead of the others in order to get there first._

_When he arrived, the citizens at the loading docks smiled at him, and saluted. "Good day, Mr. Starscream!" They greeted him, and he nodded back to them, importantly, sometimes returning the smile._

_Once outside, Starscream stepped onto the organic terrain known as _grass_, and took a look around him, drinking in the familiar sights of nature and technology. He had never really understood the need for both - why not just have one or the other or, better yet, just stick with technology, perhaps? It seemed a lot better than wasting one's time with all of this natural stuff._

_But, then again, the Teraminians _themselves_ weren't _all_ machines and, as Starscream began walking, he suddenly stopped, when a big maroon robotic dog ran out in front of him. no, wait, not a dog, but...a fox, a vixen..._

_"Audacity?" Starscream couldn't keep the smirk off his face, as the she-fox looked up at him, and recognition dawned in her bright green optics. "In trouble _again_, are we?"_

_The fox transformed swiftly, a lot quicker than a Cybertronian, and a beautiful dark red; black and brown femme stood before him, a bit smaller than him but impressive nonetheless._

_"Why Screamer, what_ever_ gives you_ that_ idea?" Audacity asked sweetly, her brush-like tail swishing._

_Sirens could be heard in the distance._

_Starscream rolled his optics. "Uh, never mind...where's your sister?"_

_Audacity laughed, although she looked a little concerned since the sirens were getting closer. "She's over at the Northern Cliffs with her mentor - he's trying to convince her to transform and fly, but she won't. As _usual_." She herself suddenly transformed again, and took off running towards the river, which crackled with electricity running through it and was used to revitalize tired servos._

_A big blue robotic dog with a blue and white checkered pattern around all four of its legs and lights and sirens on both its shoulders, dashed after her, yelling: "You won't escape _this_ time!"_

_Starscream had to laugh to himself - he was often amused by the citizens of this planet, but one thing was plaguing him, and he decided to head over to the Northern Cliffs now and do something about it..._

_~End Of Flashback (for now)~_

* * *

Starscream shook his head to clear it, and then watched as the hostess announced the next part of the competition - Karaoke Duet!

Starscream knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, which couple would be winning _this_ leg of the competition. However, he had to wonder, as he watched them sing some sort of human song called _I'd Come For You_, _why_ she had chosen this cyber-ninja, seemingly over him...no, it was just because she didn't remember. She would, and then she would come back to him and, hopefully, by that stage he would have taken out Megatron completely.

He just had to be patient...it was a virtue, after all, but probably not one of Starscream's _strongest_ virtues...heck, it was practically non-existent for him, but by Primus he was going to _try_, for _her_ sake...

* * *

Prowl noticed Emma looking out over the crowd. "What's wrong?" He asked her quietly.

"I dunno..." She muttered, her hazel eyes flitting from face-to-face in the crowd, almost as if she was searching for something...or, for some_one_...Prowl got a sense that something was confusing her but, before he could ask her about it, the hostess began speaking again.

"Okay!" She said. "A few people have been asking us if having giant transforming robots enter the contest is legal, and I'm going to tell you _right_ now - _yes it is_!" She fairly yelled into the microphone, making everybody wince and cover his or her ears. "It doesn't matter if it can't walk or talk or if it's made of flesh or metal! If it can feel the emotion of love, then damn straight it can win this contest!" She pumped a fist into the air and, inspired, a number of people in the audience cheered.

"Oh, I like her." Bumblebee grinned.

"She should be leading pep rallies or something." Sari commented.

"Doesn't she seem kind of familiar?" Emma mused.

"You know, I can't help but agree with you..." Prowl said, thoughtfully, just as the hostess announced the next part of the contest.

"Cool!" Sari grinned. "I've heard of this thing!"

"M-me too..." Emma stammered. "It-it looks...umm...fun?"

Sari and Prowl both looked at Emma. She looked worried.

Prowl tried to tap into her thoughts, and found that she was blocking him, probably unintentionally.

"Okay, everybody line up, males behind females please...oh, except for you two." The hostess pointed to a very fat woman and her skinny partner. "You two can switch. Okay, come on couples, let's see some trust! On the count of three, those in front will fall backwards, and those behind will catch them! This one's all about trust - you have to be confident in the fact that your partner will catch you! Can you do it?"

"Totally!" Sari whispered, her maroon eyes shining. "I trust you, Bee!"

"One," the hostess counted. "Two...three!"

The people standing in front of their partners all fell backwards, and most of them were caught. The exceptions to this were Yacinta, because her partner (a geeky guy with glasses) had gotten distracted by a butterfly, and Emma, because she hadn't moved yet.

Sari, leaning against Bumblebee's arms because, let's face it, if she can trust him to save her from falling off of buildings, then this was a piece of cake, glanced over at Emma. "What's wrong?" She called to her Nanny. "Just trust him."

"Y-yes!" Emma swallowed. _Trust...trust..._ She squeezed her eyes shut. _Just...trust..._ Emma remembered when she'd been to Albany with her parents, and one of her shoes (from the pair that she'd walked all over Bali with) had fallen off of the rocks and into the churning sea. Her parents and her had worked together to get it back, even though it was just a shoe...she's reached out to get a stick for her Dad to reach it with, with her Mum holding onto the rocks and her, and her holding onto nothing but her Mum's hand, trusting in her completely...

Emma took a deep breath, and could practically _feel_ Yacinta's glare on her. She was aware of the audience looking at her, and felt embarrassed and awkward. Sweat glistened on her forehead, and her chest felt constricted. Her heart - or spark - was pounding in her chest...

"Okay," the hostess said. "Let's try this again...first girl to be caught will move on to the final round, so let's make this count! Backwards from three, this time! Three..." Emma clenched her fists, and got ready to fall backwards. "Two...one second..." She said, and Yacinta fell backwards, but her partner was distracted again, and Yacinta fell back onto the floor.

"Ow!" She yelled. "For God's sake, Nigel, what the Hell is _wrong_ with you?!"

Nigel didn't answer. Like the hostess, and everybody in the park, he was staring up at the sky, at a shape that seemed to be moving in free-fall towards them.

"Is that a bird?" The fat woman said.

"A plane, perhaps?" Nigel adjusted his glasses.

"No...it's a harrier jet..." The hostess muttered, into her microphone. Then: "No, wait, it's..."

"_It's Starscream_!" Emma shouted, just as Starscream began firing at the stage.

People began screaming, and Emma heard Prowl transform, before he grabbed her and yanked her out of the way, just in time. He landed with her, next to Bumblebee (also transformed) and Sari, as Starscream transformed and landed on the ground near to them, both of his arm lasers pointed at them.

"Surrender Angel to me and I _might_ let you live!" Starscream threatened. Screw this waiting game - Starscream had no patience left! Heck, there hadn't really been _any_ there to begin with!

Bumblebee and Sari were confused. "Angel?" They said, in unison, and then realised that Starscream was looking directly at Emma. Their mouths dropped open in surprise, as Starscream turned his gaze over to Prowl and it became a glare.

"I am warning you, Autobot..." Starscream said, darkly. "I still haven't forgotten what you did to me back on the Nemesis..." He rubbed at his forearm, and that was when Emma and Prowl both noticed the silver scarf that was still tied to it, like a bracelet.

Prowl moved forwards, and stood protectively in front of Emma and Sari both. "And _I_ am warning _you_, Starscream - get out of here while you still can..."

"A Decepticon _never_ runs from a battle, Autobot..." Starscream smirked.

"I have a name - it's _Prowl_." The cyber-ninja replied evenly. He then muttered, to his comrades: "Bumblebee, radio Prime and the others for back-up - Emma and Sari, help get these people away to safety." He then leapt at Starscream, as Emma grabbed Sari's hand and dragged her away, to help the humans.

Bumblebee quickly radioed back to the base for backup, as Emma and Sari began sheepherding people. The hostess joined them.

"Okay, everybody just stay calm, and evacuate the park in an orderly fashion, there's no need for alarm!" She said, in a much more authoritative voice than she had been using before. "Everything is under control!"

"How can you say that?!" Yacinta was now hysterical, as she pointed to Starscream and Prowl's fight. "They're having some kind of mega-droid _death_ match over there! Oh, my poor Prowl!"

The hostess grabbed the young woman's shoulders and shook her slightly. "Get a hold of yourself, kid!" She yelled, even though she was younger than Yacinta.

"Don't call me kid, you pigtails-wearing freak!" Yacinta snapped, slapping the hostess away and running away as fast as her high-heels would allow her to go.

The hostess rolled her eyes. "_This_ is why I _hate_ humans!" She said sarcastically, and Emma and Sari exchanged a startled glance, just as backup arrived, but not what they expected _nor_ what they wanted...

* * *

Starscream looked up, grimacing, as Blitzwing transformed and landed on the ground nearby.

"Blitzwing!" Starscream was _not_ happy to see his former comrade. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"A-hahahaha!" Random-Blitzwing cackled. "I thought that I'd drop by and join the party!" He switched to his Icy-Mode. "Actually, Megatron has asked me to ensure that you do not cause more damage than you already have." Hot-Headed Blitzwing added: "And then capture you, so that he may destroy you himself!"

Starscream was furious. "I think not!" He shouted, and aimed his lasers at the Triple-Changer. Blitzwing dodged, and the lasers continued on a direct path to...Emma and the hostess!

They both gasped, and then their dual training kicked in, and they both dodged, just in time!

Prowl watched in shock as both girls seemed to move in unison, like mirror images, jumping to opposite sides of the attack, and flipping over in mid-air to carry themselves the extra few feet required to avoid the explosion.

The hostess landed skillfully, before looking up at the two robots and yelling: "And _this_ is why my _Dad_ hates _machines_!"

"Whoa..." Emma muttered, shaking her head quickly. She then looked over at the hostess. "F-Flora?!" She called. _Captain Fanzone's daughter?! No way!_

Starscream glared at Flora, and then aimed his lasers at her, firing without warning.

Flora gasped and Emma, without really being aware of what she was doing, ran forwards, aware that everything seemed to be going in slow-motion for her.

She reached Flora just as the lasers did, and threw both of her hands up, one behind her to push Flora out of the way, and one in front of her to somehow block the lasers.

The blue light from the All-Spark flowed through her hands, as she was hit with the lasers a split second before she brought up her force-shield, but the result was very interesting...

Emma closed her eyes, and remembered something, as she was thrown up into the sky...

* * *

_~Flashback~_

_Angel stood on the edge of the cliff, staring out over the rough terrain that was the north-eastern hemisphere of the planet, Teramina. Her yellow optics hardly saw any of it, though, because her processor was on what was being asked of her._

_A few feet behind her, stood her mentor, the calm and wise one that had never led her astray, but now..._

_"Wh-what if I cannot do this, Master?" Angel asked, nervously. "What if I cannot transform, and I fall?"_

_"You must have faith in yourself, and in your own abilities, little Angel." Her Master replied, patient as always and always calm. "Trust in yourself, and in your own spark as well."_

_Angel swallowed. "Yeah, but...what if..." She was suddenly aware of a second presence, because it made her spark beat wildly, and she turned around quickly, just as Starscream landed near to her. "Star-"_

_With one hand, Starscream shoved Angel off the cliff, and she fell, her processor barely recognizing what was happening._

_Then, she yelled: "Whyyyyy?!"_

_"Just transform!" Starscream yelled to her._

_"I caaaaan't!" Angel was terrified - this was it, she was going to die! She'd never liked heights so why, oh WHY had Primus decided to give her wings?! She didn't even know what she was meant to transform into, or how she should do it! Her parents had never had much time to focus on her, being busy with other matters including her two older sisters, and her Master was from Cybertron, not Teramina, which made a slight difference to their abilities._

_All of the other Teraminians her age teased her because she couldn't transform yet, and said a lot of things to her that hurt her. Things like she wasn't really her parents' daughter, and that she didn't belong in that particular family..._

_Angel fell, the sky getting further and further away from her, and the ground rushing up to meet her a lot faster than she would have liked. She couldn't see Starscream _or_ her master anymore, but...she could _sense_ them..._

_The bonds that tied her spark to theirs...with her Master, it was nothing short of love, though it was in the sense of the fact that he was her guardian, her care-giver, her teacher, and her best friend. With Starscream, it was something quite different...with Starscream...it was...love-love...not that she would ever _tell_ him that because, let's face it, he annoyed the _hell_ out of her...still..._

_She could sense his spark now, telling her to transform. He _believed_ in her. Despite all his arrogance and irritating behavior, he _believed_ in her, and that was something that Angel clung onto, that she cherished..._

_Angel suddenly realised that she'd offlined her optics to brace for impact, but now she snapped them open, and her spark began to beat even faster than it had been before._

_Her body began to shift and change, metal sliding into place to form a new mode. Angel snapped out her wings at the very last possible second and they beat, forming a rhythm that tied in with her own spark, as dust collected on the ground underneath her, and she beat her wings to gain altitude. Each flap of her wings brought her back up into the sky, and away from her near fatal accident..._

_Starscream stood at the edge of the cliff, waiting impatiently for Angel to return to him. Behind him, Angel's Master stood calmly, a knowing look in his brilliant blue optics._

_"What if...?" Starscream began, just as the sound of beating wings could be heard and, a second later, a massive silver bird appeared, silhouetted by setting sun. A faint blue light glowed around her chest, as she glared at Starscream with piercing yellow optics. "Angel! You're alright!"_

_"No thanks to you, you arrogant, good-looking, glitch-head!" Angel cursed, transforming back into a robot and lunging at Starscream..._

_~End Of Flashback~_

* * *

Starscream, right now, had his servos full with battling Blitzwing, so he could do nothing as Emma was thrown several meters up into the sky, and then, of course, she began to fall.

"_Emma_!" Sari shrieked, covering her eyes.

"Somebody catch her!" Flora added, her amber eyes fixed on the figure that was suddenly rushing to meet Emma, mid-fall.

Prowl used his jetpack to reach Emma, using every ounce of his being to get to her before she got to the ground.

Suddenly, right when he was about to reach her, a stray shot of laser-fire from one of the two Decepticons battling below him hit him, disabling his jet-pack.

Prowl gasped, just as he grabbed onto Emma's hand, and her eyes snapped open.

"Prowl!" She gasped, as they both began to fall. Her eyes were locked onto his, as he suddenly found himself in his holoform. "Prowl!"

"Emma!" Prowl tried to remain calm, knowing that they were going to reach the ground in no time. "Emma...let me in...let me into your mind...you spark..."

Emma closed her eyes, tears settling on the brinks of them. "I-I can't!" She cried, her hands now squeezing his almost painfully.

"Yes, you _can_," Prowl reassured her, gently. "Please, Emma...do you trust me?"

"What?" She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Do you trust me?" He was smiling, one of his rare, Prowl-smiles.

Emma hesitated for the briefest of second, before smiling back at him. "..._yes_..." She replied.

All at once, a bright blue light surrounded the two, causing everybody to look up in shock, and Sari to uncover her eyes. Blitzwing and Starscream also stopped fighting, and the latter stared up in shock, the All-Spark's energy reaching him, and making his forehead feel warm again. The Fragment that was in there was reacting to the energy of the rest of the All-Spark.

Starscream clenched his fists, anger welling up inside of him as he got a sense of what his beloved Angel was feeling. What he _didn't_ like was that, one, it was not directed at _him_ and, two, it was like he was on the outside of the sphere looking - he _hated_ that fact...

* * *

Emma and Prowl, meanwhile, were in a world of their own, as the All-Spark's energy slowed their fall, creating a beautiful azure sphere of light around them. Prowl was slowly, but surely, getting past Emma's barriers, of mistrust and fear, and she was getting past his. His belief in himself was filled with regret and guilt, and hers with sorrow and a seeming hatred of herself. Prowl wanted, above all, for Emma to like, no to _love_ herself, and she wanted him to stop blaming himself for what had happened.

Prowl also hit a wall of mystery, one that Emma herself hadn't put up but, beyond it, there was something so _familiar_, something that Prowl had thought long ago to be lost...

There was little to no doubt left in Prowl's mind, then...

Emma was Angel.

The power of the All-Spark moved back in around them, returning to its home in Emma's chest, as she let go of Prowl's left hand, but continued to cling to his right hand with her left one, and they landed safe and sound on the ground, both of them radiating some kind of special and beautiful aura.

It burned Starscream up inside to realise that, and he saw Emma...no, _Angel_, glance at him, as if she could sense it. Of _course_ she could sense it! She was meant to be _his_, not that pathetic Autobot cyber-ninja's!

Angel had been _meant_ to be Starscream's, since the first time they had met, back on Teramina! He had known her for longer, and he had been searching for her for millions of stellar cycles! How _dare_ an Autobot stand in his way!

Starscream, took a step forwards, just as sirens could be heard and, then, Optimus; Bulkhead and Ratchet showed up on the scene, transforming and standing between Emma and Prowl and the Decepticons.

Starscream grimaced, but then said: "You pathetic Autobots _dare_ to stand in our way?! Blitzwing, we can take them!"

Blitzwing switched to his Icy-Mode. "Actually, Starscream, Megatron has ordered me _not_ to engage the Autobots in battle." He shrugged, and then transformed into his harrier-jet mode. As he took off, Random-Blitzwing added: "See ya - wouldn't wanna be ya!"

Starscream cringed. "Get back here, you coward! A Decepticon does not run from a fight!" He then turned back to the Autobots, to see a shurikan; battle-axe; wrecking-ball; stingers and electro-magnetic pincers aimed directly at him. "Uh, unless the odds are severely _out_ of his favor...but, mark my words, I _will_ be back, for _my_ Angel!" He then transformed swiftly, and took off just as quickly, living up to his name of 'the universe's best flyer' and also to the title 'world's greatest coward'.

Emma, sitting on Prowl's shoulder, felt very confused then. _His_ Angel? She wasn't even sure if she _was_ Angel, and now...

She suddenly leaned over, and hugged Prowl around his neck.

"Thank you..." She whispered, in his audio-receptor. "And, I'm sorry for not trusting you before...I do now..."

"I know." Prowl whispered back, just as the Bumblebee-look-alike drove up, and Captain Fanzone hopped out without even stopping the engine, so the car crashed into a nearby tree. He didn't care, though.

"Flora!" Fanzone cried, running to her and throwing his arms around her.

"Daddy!" She cried, hugging him back. "Check this out - it's the best contest we've ever had here!"

Fanzone took one look around, and then his eyes landed on the Autobots. "_This_ is why I _hate_ machines!" He cried.

* * *

Later on that night, Sari and Bumblebee demonstrated the trust exercise for the others, and then Emma and Prowl tried it.

This time, Emma was able to fall straight back into Prowl's arms, and everybody clapped.

Sari was grinning, as she sat on Bumblebee's shoulder. Then, she asked: "Hey, guys...what's a spark-partner?"

Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at her, surprised.

"_Where_ did you hear _that_ term?" Ratchet wanted to know, sounding shocked.

Sari shrugged. "I dunno - it just seems to be a whole lot simpler than asking Emma why the Decepticons keep on calling her _Angel_..."

Emma cringed, and then muttered: "Okay, kiddo, basically...a spark-partner is, a...like a...soul-mate?" She tried to sound like she was guessing. "Only, I guess it's _deeper_ than that, since sparks are more spiritual than hearts, or...something? Guys?" She looked helplessly around at the rest of them, as Sari's maroon eyes sparkled.

Ratchet; Prowl; Bulkhead and Bumblebee all nodded. Only Optimus Prime remained motionless and silent, and there was a faraway look in his optics, as he stared at something that seemingly only he could see...

* * *

On Dino-Bot Island, with that same look in her brilliant scarlet optics, Blackarachnia walked along the beach, all ready to put her latest plan into motion...

* * *

Six weeks later, things had changed drastically for the Autobots - starting with Sari one day finding that her credit card had been deactivated, and now she had absolutely _no_ income whatsoever in order to buy food and clothes and, well, live!

It was all Porter C. Powell's doing, but there was nothing anybody could do about it, not even Captain Fanzone. The company, technically, belonged to Powell, and so did all of its assets, including money. luckily, he didn't know about the base, otherwise Powell would have seized _that_, too, or at the very least forced them all to pay the rent...

The one that that Fanzone _could_ do was grant Emma a permanent Working Visa for the United States Of America. This allowed her to do the one thing she could never seem to do in her old life - get a job.

And, so, that was how she found herself working at Mama Fuyano's, earning a regular income and wearing a waitress uniform like the one from _Kaichou-Wa Maid-Sama_, except that everybody wore a different coloured uniform, and so they looked more like the _Tokyo Mew Mew_ girls. Emma's uniform happened to be light pink and white, like Berry Shirayuki's. She loved it, but the work was hard, and she felt like giving up at times, since she'd never been one for hard-work. She didn't know why, she guessed that she'd never gotten a taste of it, and now she had no choice _but_ to drink it.

Still, when she would come home, tired and her voice hoarse from singing to the customers, she would see Sari's smiling face, and feel a lot better. Mama Fuyano was also a very nice boss, if not a little bit scary...

At least she had Sari to do her chores back at the base for her, since their little deal a few months back...

Sari could see, however, what a toll it was taking on her Nanny, and so, one day, she and Bumblebee decided to pay a little visit to one Prometheus Black, aka Meltdown, but he wasn't really very much help, even though Powell had taken his company, just like he'd taken Sari's. Unfortunately, not long after that (as in, that very night), Meltdown was broken out of prison, and the thieves even took the impenetrable box holding him with them!

The Autobots and Sari were discussing this just after they'd found out, and Emma walked in, looking exhausted. She had dark eye makeup on and black lipstick and black nails, and was wearing a black maid outfit tonight, because it was friday The 13th, and Mama Fuyano was _all_ for the little holidays...

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, throwing her back down on the floor.

Prowl turned to look at her. He felt his spark ache when he saw how tired she looked, and _hated_ that Powell was doing this to their family. Emma would do _anything_ to protect Sari, but it also meant that she had to suffer for it. Also, it limited the time Emma and Prowl got to spend together.

"Meltdown has escaped from prison." Prowl informed her, as she came over to the couch, looking worried.

"What?" Emma sat on the floor beside the couch, not caring what happened to her uniform (she had about eight of them hanging up in her wardrobe, besides). "Why'd he do that?"

"Maybe Meltdown wants to go after Sari's Dad again?" Bumblebee suggested. "Or, turn a bunch _more_ innocent humans into bat-shark-crab-squid thingies!" He waved his hands about.

"Hey!" Sari kicked his leg. She'd already had enough nightmares about that, thank-you very much!

"What? I didn't mean _you_ specifically!" Bumblebee reassured her. "Although, you gotta admit, the guy _does_ have a thing for your family..."

As Prowl replayed the security video, he turned to Bumblebee and said, scathingly: "Bumblebee, for _once_, can't you keep quiet?"

"What do you mean?" Bumblebee gave him a Look. "I can keep quiet any time, any place."

"Really?" Prowl put his hands on his hips. "I'll bet you a case of axel grease that you can't keep quiet for _ten_ cycles."

"Ooh, you're on!" Bumblebee was up for the challenge! "I am _so_ gonna win that axel grease!" He stage-whispered to Bulkhead.

"Ahem?" Prowl coughed pointedly.

"What?" Bumblebee looked at him. "Oh, we're starting now? Okay, well, this time, not a word! Zippo! Nada! The mute button, is _on_!" He pressed an imaginary button on his forehead.

Prowl just shook his head, already knowing the outcome of their little challenge. He turned back to the TV screen. "Look at this." He said, replaying the tape. "There's some kind of reflection...if I increase the resolution...we might be able to..." He stopped talking suddenly, as the increased resolution on-screen revealed the image to be of...

"The Dino-Bots!" Emma exclaimed, sounding more alert than she had been lately, but that might've been because the coffee she'd drunk on the way home was starting to kick in (she'd taken to walking home, since she didn't want to be a bother to anybody).

"But, they despise Meltdown." Optimus said, sounding surprised. "What could have possibly possessed them to spring _him_?"

"A get-out-of-jail-free-card?" Bumblebee suggested.

Optimus just looked at him.

"Not even half a cycle. " Prowl murmured. He should have known...

Bumblebee cringed. "Ah, wait, give me another chance?!"

Optimus sighed. "Hmm, we need to look into this." He stated, referring to the Dino-Bots. He crossed his arms.

Bumblebee looked sulky.

"Prowl, you know Dino-Bot Island like the back of your servos," Optimus told the cyber-ninja. "You and Bumblebee, come with me."

Prowl nodded.

"And, kitty makes three?" Emma stated hopefully, standing up.

"No." Optimus and Prowl said in unison.

"Guys, _please_?" Emma rolled her eyes. Her hands flew to her hips. "They're _my_ babies too, you know, and besides, I can handle Meltdown." She stared up at Prowl, imploringly. "The Dino-Bots like me, remember? I'm sure it'll be fine..."

Prowl looked a little bit flustered. "O-okay." He stammered.

Optimus rolled his optics.

Sari looked up at Bumblebee. "Can I...?"

"_No_!" Everybody shouted.

* * *

Optimus; Prowl; Bumblebee and Emma arrived on Dino-Bot Island in no time at all, and Optimus told them all to keep quiet.

"I'm already being quiet!" Bumblebee reminded him. "Haven't you noticed?"

Prowl turned to him. "Alright, that was six and a half cycles, _tops_."

Bumblebee groaned in frustration. "Let me start over!" He said, a determined look on his face.

"Ssh!" Emma hissed.

"Okay!" Bumblebee hissed back, and then face-palmed. "Sorry, sorry..."

"Alright, it will be better if we split up to search the island," Optimus told them. "But, _be careful_."

"You bet I'll be careful!" Bumblebee told him, and then groaned, again. "Oh, not again!" He said, running off.

Emma clung to Prowl's shoulder as he went in a different direction, leaving Optimus to take a third path.

* * *

Emma and Prowl presently came across some of Meltdown's acid residue, and drew the conclusion that it looked like he had been there.

"If he's hurt my babies again..." Emma muttered, although she knew that there was more to this than met the eye.

Just then, Bumblebee's voice came from somewhere to their left. "PROWL!"

Prowl sighed. "What is it _this_ time, Bumblebee?" He asked, heading off in that direction. "What _brilliant_, insightful thought can you not _wait_ to share with the rest of the world?" He asked, landing on the ground, and then he gasped.

Bumblebee was trapped in a massive, light purple spider's web! His optics were offlined, and he appeared to be in a deep stasis lock!

Suddenly, Emma and Prowl heard a sound from behind them, and half-turned, just as the purple spider-lady, Blackarachnia, lunged at them! Emma was thrown off of Prowl's shoulder, as Blackarachnia used her weird power on him, causing him pain before she sent him into a forced stasis-lock!

Emma gasped, as she landed on the ground on her wrist. _Oh no, not again!_ She thought, wincing at the pain, but that was _nothing_ compared to what she felt when she looked up to see Prowl lying there! "Prowl!" She cried. "I think he was trying to warn us about _her_!"

"That's right." Blackarachnia said coldly, tying Prowl up in a web, and he groaned. Blackarachnia then looked at Emma, her four red optics burning into the suddenly terrified young woman...

* * *

Optimus soon ran into Grimlock, and tried calling to Prowl for backup, but couldn't, since Prowl was in no fit state to receive calls right now!

To make matters worse, Blackarachnia showed up, and she carried somebody with her - it was Emma, tied up in a sticky spider's web and looking more upset than Optimus could remember seeing her.

"She got Prowl and Bee!" Emma cried, tears in her eyes and, as if on cue, Swoop dropped Prowl and Bumblebee onto the ground as well. Optimus gasped.

"Yes, and I even _borrowed_ some of their powers." Blackarachnia said coldly. "But, don't worry, you two, I gave them something in return - _an extra dose of venom_! And, if I don't administer this antidote in two megacycles," she held up said venom in her free hand. "They'll go offline - _permanently_!"

_Now_ Optimus understood the reason for Emma's tears, and why she looked so scared. He himself was feeling scared, as well, but he couldn't let it show.

"Give them the anti venom, now!" Optimus told his former partner, unable to believe that the sweet and gentle Elita-1 he used to know could be capable of this kind of thing.

"Hmm, that'll have to wait." Blackarachnia said, placing Emma carelessly on the ground, and she winced when she fell onto her hurt wrist. Blackarachnia approached Optimus, and began to sweet talk with him, telling him about her and Meltdown's plan to rid her of her organic-half, and Meltdown himself made an appearance then.

Grimlock, however, did not like Blackarachnia going near Optimus, and transformed, running forwards to attack Optimus with his sword.

"_Grimlock, stop_!" Emma shouted, and the dinosaur-mech paused in mid-swing, glancing between Blackarachnia and Emma in a confused way. "Grimlock, _listen_ to me, you hear me, don't you, boy?" Emma's voice was shaking, but she tried to keep it steady as she looked up at the Dino-Bot. "_Calm down_."

"Me, Grimlock..._calm_..." Grimlock put away his sword.

Emma sighed, and lay her throbbing head back down on the dirt.

"Not like when truck-bot go near spider-lady, though." Grimlock added, as an afterthought.

Blackarachnia strutted up to Grimlock, and said: "Oh, don't be so jealous. You know how I feel about you..." She said, in a soft, sweet voice. "Can't you two be _friends_, for lil' old me?" She teased, as Grimlock walked over to Optimus.

Blackarachnia shot a superior glance at Emma, but then noticed that the girl was preoccupied. She had managed to edge her way over to Prowl, kind of like an inch-worm, and was whispering something to him that nobody else could hear.

Blackarachnia felt her insides clench up. _It's time this _Angel_ and I had a little spark-to-spark..._ She thought bitterly, marching over to them...

* * *

On the way back to Meltdown's lair, Emma decided that it was time to tell Blackarachnia _exactly_ what she thought of her. She didn't know why, but something _about_ the spider-lady had just gotten her riled up...maybe because she'd attacked Prowl?!

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Emma said, her heart pounding in her chest. "You're only doing this because you want to feel _so_ much better about the pathetic state that _your_ life has fallen into!"

Blackarachnia glared at her, and swung her extra hard from the web as she walked. Emma winced as her hurt wrist brushed up against a tree. "What would _you_ know about my life?!"

"More than you _think_ I know!" Emma returned the glare.

"Did _Optimus_ tell you?" Blackarachnia snapped.

"_No_!" Emma retorted. "The...something else told me, that's all..." She looked away.

Blackarachnia laughed hollowly. "Ah, yes, I know _all_ about you and the All-Spark, _Angel_..." Emma looked up at her, quickly. "About how you've started to absorb the Fragments, because they _belong_ to you, as they have for stellar cycles?" She shook her head. "You know _nothing_ about the pain and suffering of our kind, because you _don't remember_! When have you _ever_ had to sacrifice _anything_ in your perfect, little human life? When have you ever been _betrayed_, been _used_, been treated like you're absolutely _nothing_?!" She was fairly shouting by this stage, but then she said, in the softest voice imaginable: "You may not remember it, but you _always_ had the best of _everything_. Even when you lost it _all_, _they_ were still there to pick up the pieces, and take care of you. _Some_ of us didn't _get_ that luxury!"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked her. "The Autobots?"

"_No_!" Blackarachnia snapped. "They were the _cause_ of all this!" She waved her hand about, causing Emma to swing around and nearly hit her head on a nearby tree-branch. "The _Decepticons_ were the ones you were aligned to!"

Emma gasped, all of the blood draining out of her face. "B-but then...h-how...they...I...we...I..." She began stammering, not able to string anything together.

Blackarachnia, seeing the young woman's discomfort, laughed bitterly. "Let me tell you a story about your own life, Angel..." She said. "I'm sure you know all about the way the Autobots abandoned me, and left me on that planet."

"Yeah, because they thought you were _dead_." Emma reminded her. "And, I thought that this story was supposed to be about _me_."

"_No interrupting_!" Blackarachnia scolded. "Anyway, so I was taken in by the Decepticons, not for my skills or the fact that I needed a new home, but because I had _information_ that they needed, and nothing else! I was nothing more than that to them! So, after I received my insignia and my new designation, I became increasingly aware about talk of a femme called _Angel_ and I thought: 'Hey, she sounds like the cyber-ninja femme of the same designation back on Cybertron!'. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Emma just stared at her.

Blackarachnia sighed. "I'm _saying_, that for a thousand stellar cycles I had to listen to the Decepticons go on and on about you, you, and _you_!" She shook her head. "It got a bit annoying after awhile, especially after I told them what I knew. It also seems that most of Cybertron wasn't aware of your true existence, since The Great Purge one billion stellar cycles ago erased all the history of _your_ home planet. It was a real optic-opener for me, let me tell you that. The Autobots had been lying for so long, but now I know the truth."

Emma continued to stare at her.

"To make matters worse, that _idiot_ Starscream _never_ shut up about you, and how he planned to make Megatron and the Autobots suffer for what you'd been through!" Blackarachnia rolled all four of her brilliant scarlet optics. "He _longed_ to find you, and never once gave up hope - do you know what that did to _me_, as somebody who's spark-partners had just _abandoned_ her?!" She shouted. "And, here _you_ are, playing lovey-dovey with that black cyber-ninja, and even _kissing_ that Elite Guard cyber-ninja! Why should _you_ get to have everything, when I've been left with _nothing_?! _NOTHING_?!" She shook her head, as unaccustomed tears gathered in her optics. "In my old life, I had _everything_! But, what I loved the most was having my spark-partners _with_ me! They _believed_ in me, and _cared_ about me, but now I'm just a _freak_! I have no alliance, no friends, no life and _no spark-partners_!"

Emma stared at Blackarachnia for a ten second, before she finally opened her mouth and spoke to her.

"I'm sorry...Elita-1..."

"Okay!" Meltdown approached them. "I'm sorry to break up the reunion, ladies, but everything is ready, as soon as those two bots get back with my Genetic Modifier..."

* * *

As Emma had expected, Meltdown ordered his mutants to kick Optimus and Grimlock out.

"My baby!" Emma gasped. "And, my boss!" She added, struggling with her binds, and then wincing as her wrist hurt her again. She then recalled what Meltdown was about to do and, sure enough, he told this to Blackarachnia, and she sounded scared for the first time that fateful Friday The 13th. "Elita-1!" Emma shouted, over the spider-bot's own painful screams. Emma shut her eyes, trying to drown out the screaming and concentrate.

_What is it that they always said?_ She thought, trying to focus despite the chaos going on around her, and the fact that a mech she loved was slowly dying, not to mention an old friend of hers was being tortured. _Clear one's mind...err, processor, and...focus..._ She began to hum, a gentle, continuous sound that seemed to come from the heart and spark that beat in unison within her. She felt a steady, hot glow in her palms and, as she did, she recalled something.

_You STILL can't master Processor-Over-Matter? You will _never_ become a cyber-ninja if you can't even do _that_, Prowl..._

Emma nearly smiled, as she felt the web slip off of her. _Heh...I was _so_ obnoxious when I was Angel..._ She stood up and tested her wrist...yup, definitely broken...oh well...

"A-Angel!" Blackarachnia shouted, and the antivenom suddenly flew through the air, and Emma caught it, wincing as she did. "G-go! G-get out of here, while you still can - AAUURRGGHH!" She screamed, as another wave of electricity coursed through her body.

"I'm not leaving you!" Emma shouted.

"You fool! The two megacycles are almost up!" Blackarachnia yelled. "If you don't - AAAA - then those two will - UNGH - _die_!"

"I know..." Emma muttered, looking around her wildly for an escape card, or something. Then, she remembered something. "_Optimus_!" She shouted, as loudly as she could. "_In here_! _Hurry_!" As she heard him approaching, she herself took off running, heading in the direction that her spark was pulling her, and hoping that everything would be okay...

* * *

Optimus was despondent as he returned to the spot where Prowl and Bumblebee had been left, knowing that it was too late. The sun had risen by this stage, and the two megacycles were up.

He stopped, however, when he saw that, whilst they were still tied up, they were both online, and appeared to be arguing with each other.

Emma, her face pale and her makeup smudged to resemble some kind of panda, sat tiredly on the web still surrounding Prowl's body, and she held the used antivenom in one hand. The other was swollen, and looked like it was in serious need of some repair.

Emma looked up as Optimus approached. "Can you make these two shut up?" She asked wearily, but she was smiling. "Bee's trying to convince Prowl that the two megacycles they were in stasis-lock for counts as not talking..."

Optimus could do nothing but smile as well, his spark filled with relief. There was a strange look in Emma's eyes, like she was trying to tell him something, maybe about Blackarachnia, but didn't know how to word it...


	17. Stealing Kisses

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level sexual content (it's not that bad, and just towards the end...)

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

anonomon - no, it's not wrong at all...

Thanks to everybody that reviews _after_ this chapter is published!

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Stealing Kisses

* * *

Prowl walked down the hallway, intent on finding some peace and quiet, since everybody seemed to be hyper today, in their own way. Bumblebee was playing Heroic Guitar, some loud video game, and Bulkhead seemed to want to sing as he painted. Ratchet was complaining loudly about their current state of affairs, and Optimus was trying to get through the Cybertron Command, but was having problems with the server.

Sari, meanwhile, had decided that her agenda of the day was to annoy Emma as much as possible, and the young woman was on her last ounce of patience. True, she no longer needed to work anymore, since she'd been allowed to go an a disability leave due to her broken arm, but that didn't give Sari the right to torment her! However, eight-year-old-girl is as eight-year-old-girl does, and so...

Prowl stopped, as Sari came running out of the bathroom, holding what looked suspiciously like Emma's clothes. She had a mischievous look on her face, as she spotted Prowl, and dropped something on the floor nearby him, before running off down the hallway.

The bathroom door was flung open again, and Emma stomped out, her hair wet from just having had a shower. She was wearing nothing but a white towel that clung limply to her body and her cast, and she stopped when she noticed that Prowl was there, and had picked up the articles of clothing that Sari had mischievously left behind...

Emma's face turned bright red, as did Prowl's faceplates, as they both realised at the same time what Prowl was holding.

Hew quickly tossed them to her, turning around as she put on her underwear, and both of them could sense the mortified embarrassment coming from the other.

Emma sighed. "Now..." She said, and Prowl dared to turn around, but almost (_almost_) wished that he _hadn't_.

Emma had dropped the towel, and stood there in her underwear, looking positively murderous. Prowl pitied whatever poor, hapless creature was about to be on the receiving end of Emma's anger, and then remembered that it was Sari. Even with one arm out of action, Emma could probably still do some serious damage to Sari.

As Emma charged off to find the little red-haired culprit, Prowl quickly began thinking of ways to get those two to get along again. He suddenly had the perfect plan...

* * *

Sari and Emma stared at Prowl, as he put the idea forth to them.

"You want us to..." Sari began.

"Switch lives, for the day?" Emma finished.

"Why?" They asked, in unison.

"To see what it's like to be each other," Prowl explained, looking up a human term that both the girls might understand. "They say, walk a mile with a stranger, before you judge him or her."

"But, we're not strangers." Sari reminded him.

"Even _more_ of a reason why this will be good for you." Prowl said calmly. "Consider it a character-building exercise." He added.

Emma and Sari exchanged a glance.

"So," Prowl continued briskly. "Sari, I have arranged with Mama Fuyano for you to go to work tomorrow, and do all of the things that Emma would normally have to do during her day." As he spoke, he watched Sari's face take on a look of absolute horror. "I will also accompany you during your lunch-break, as the weekly shopping must be done. There is a list, and we must abide by it."

Sari was looking positively horrified. "Wh-what about Emma?" She asked.

Prowl turned to Emma, and Emma felt the faintest sense of smugness through her connection the cyber-ninja. It nearly made her smile, but she tried to keep her game-face on.

"Emma will be...forced to spend her day with Bumblebee and Bulkhead," Prowl told the girls. "She will have to play video games and watch cartoons for hours on end; eat nothing but the junkiest of food including Mercury Bars; and she'll have to use the key for all sorts of mischief."

"What?" Sari looked shocked. "I have to surrender my _key_, too?!" She clung tightly to the silver artifact.

"Just for a day." Prowl reassured her, holding out his hand. "You can have it back this time tomorrow, got it?"

Sari stared at him for a moment, before handing over the precious key, which Emma put around her neck with barely contained glee - she'd always wanted to wear the All-Spark Key!

"Wait, if she gets my key, then what do _I get_?!" Sari demanded to know.

Emma and Prowl both looked at her. "Scuz-Bag." They said, in unison.

"Oh, and you'll need to give him a bath tomorrow morning and feed him his mealworms too, before work." Emma added, unable to keep the grin off her face when she saw Sari cringe. _Prowl, sometimes I love you more than ever before, you know that?_

From the look on his face, she guessed that he did...

* * *

The next morning, Sari woke up in Emma's bed, feeling slightly confused for a second, before she remembered. "_Ohhhh_, that's right...I'm Emma for the day..." She rolled her maroon eyes, and then got up, realising that what had woken her up was an alarm-clock. She looked all around for it, and saw Prowl holding it.

He leaned against the doorframe, and said: "Time to wake up, Semma." Semma was the nickname they had come up with for Sari last night (the other Autobots had all thought that it was a _swell_ idea, the traitors) and Emma had a nickname, too. Hers was Esari. "Scuz-Bag needs his morning bath."

Sari groaned, and rubbed her eyes. "Do I _have_ to?" She asked him.

He nodded, still smiling. "Yes. Also, I suggest you hurry - Mama Fuyano wants you in to work at eight."

Sari sighed, and got out of bed.

* * *

Emma woke up slowly, scared for a second by the massive teddy-bear that she was now looking at, before realising that it was just Sari's teddy-bear, and _now_, slowly looking around the room, she recalled what had happened. She was supposed to be Sari (or, Esari) for the day.

"Oh-kaaaay..." Emma shrugged, and glanced at the All-Spark Key around her neck. "This could be...fun?" She got up and stretched, being careful of her broken arm. Ratchet had said that it would take a few weeks to heal, which was fine. She had even let the other Autobots sign her cast. She smiled, remembering how Bumblebee had signed it, and how she was _pretty_ sure his name wasn't Elite-Guard-Speedster-The-Crown-Prince-Of-Energon-Sauce, but nobody really cared.

Emma looked at the clothes that had been selected for her the previous night - a yellow sun-dress in her size, with black knee socks and yellow boots. All in yellow, not a sign of silver and only _limited_ black!

Emma got dressed skillfully, since she'd been like this for awhile now, and that was when Bumblebee knocked on the door.

"Hiya, Esari!" He grinned. "Want me to help you fix your hair?!"

Emma just stared at him. "_You_ know how to fix a girl's hair?"

Bumblebee nodded cheerfully, sat her down on a chair, and proceeded to brush and then tie her hair into pigtails for her.

Emma blinked. "Wonders never cease..." She muttered. She and Bumblebee walked out of Sari's room, and found Sari herself looking bright and eager and ready to go, a cup of (decaf) coffee in her hands. She was dressed in a miniature version of Emma's work uniform (except, it was a lighter cream colour) and her hair was tied into a messy ponytail.

"Okay P-Prowl, let's r-roll!" Sari declared, in a stammering, high-pitched voice.

Emma's free hand flew to her hip. "Hey!" She cried, in an overly childish voice. "I do _not_ sound like that!" She glanced at Prowl and Bumblebee. "_Do_ I?"

Bumblebee opened his mouth.

"_Don't_ answer that!" Prowl muttered.

* * *

"Oh, _this_ is Semma-Chan!"

"Semma-Chan, _ohayoo_!"

"Oh, she is so _kawaii_!"

"Such red hair!"

"We should dress her up in panda suit!"

"I want her to be my _imouto_!"

Sari cringed, and clung onto Prowl's hand, as the other workers at Mama Fuyano's swarmed around her. She secretly _liked_ all the attention, but it was a bit strange...

Suddenly, Mama Fuyano jumped out of nowhere, the way she usually did, and cried: "_Min'na ga shigoto ni torikakaru_!" Sari knew enough Japanese to know that she wanted her employees to get to work.

Mama fuyano then turned to Sari, her eyes piercing. "You Isaac Sumdac's girl, yes?" Sari nodded silently. "I know your Father, he good man! Shame, shame about him going missing, but there is no rest for the weary! Miko will show you to kitchen! _Miiikoooo_!" A punk-looking girl with a pink streak in her hair, and dressed in a green maid's uniform bounced over, grinning.

"Hi, i'm Nakadai Miko, but call me Miko, let's get to work!" She grabbed Sari's hand, and then looked up at Prowl. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her! Let's go!"

Prowl smiled. Sari (Semma) would be fine.

* * *

"Umm, so, what does Sari usually do at this time?" Emma, back at the base, asked Bumblebee and Bulkhead.

Bumblebee consulted a piece of paper. "Well, we usually watch cartoons for half an hour, before playing video games until eleven, and then we watch our favourite cartoons until noon, and then we have a sitting with the resident Autobot-painter at one, and then we have the rest of the afternoon free for more video games and fun!"

"You have a _schedule_?" Emma stared at it. "And, why is that thing even longer than the list of regulations that Captain Fanzone gave me?"

Bumblebee waggled a finger at her. "Uh-uh, no using big words like 'schedule' and 'regulations', Esari!"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Jeez, sorry...okay, you two!" She held up her good hand. "Cartoons! Hurry! We might miss them!"

"Now, _that's_ what I'm talking about!" Bumblebee grabbed Emma and raced for the TV. "Time for _Robo-Sharks VS Robo-Crocs_!"

"Time for _what_?!"

* * *

Sari leaned over the counter, breathing heavily, and pushing her damp hair away from her forehead. "I never realised...this was such hard work..."

"Why, what did you _think_ Emma did all day?" Miko asked her, tipping a handful of trays into the sink, and making Sari groan. "Wear a pretty uniform and sing to the customers?"

Sari didn't answer that and, instead, sighed. "I'm taking a break." She said, and hopped off the stool that she had to stand on because she couldn't reach the sink otherwise.

"I wouldn't _do_ that if I were _yo-ou_..." Miko sang, although she looked like she wanted Sari to really try it.

Sari just glanced at her, and then headed out the back door. She nearly ran into Mama Fuyano. "Ei-yah..." Sari gulped.

Mama Fuyano crossed her arms and looked at Sari. "_Hai_?" She said, sternly.

"Uh...never mind..." Sari walked back inside. She whispered to Miko: "Isn't it _illegal_ for eight-year-olds to be worked like this?"

"_Only_ in Paraguay." Miko replied. "So, what music do you listen to?"

* * *

Emma watched in silence (or, not so-silence) as Bumblebee (in his holoform) expertly maneuvered his fingers over the fake guitar frets, playing along to some wild and screeching heavy metal music. Occasionally, he would strike a pose worthy of any rock concert, and his movements seemed to involve a lot of jumping around on the couch a lot.

As she watched, she ate a Mercury Bar, so named for the craters covering its surface, and wondered if her ears would ever be the same after this. Not that she _minded_ the music - she was generally _very_ open when it came to music but, technically, when it came to heavy metal she preferred to be able to hear the _lyrics_, not just a whole lot of screaming.

"Uh, you're supposed to be having _fun_, Esari." Bulkhead, in his holoform, reminded her, from where he leaned on the couch behind her.

"Oh, sorry!" Emma glanced up at him. "Really, I am...uh..."

Bumblebee suddenly grinned. "_I_ know a song that she'll like..." He skillfully switched through the songs, until he found a particular one.

Emma's eyes widened slightly, as Slipknot began to sing _Before I Forget_ and, without even thinking, she began to sing along. Another song from her world that had gone viral in this one...the bands back in her own world should be _thanking_ her...

"_That's_ more like it!" Bumblebee yelled over the music and, despite herself, Emma actually began to enjoy herself more...

* * *

Sari, meanwhile, had finally reached her lunch break, and was practically dead. She grabbed a quick bite from Burger Bot, and then it was time to go grocery shopping. Miko asked if she could come with them, and Sari agreed - she liked the bubbly, Japanese girl.

Miko babbled on about her own life and her interests as they walked through the grocery store. Sari only half-listened to her - she was having a quiet war with one cyber-ninja, Prowl.

"Sugar Frosties?" Sari held up the pastel-coloured box.

Prowl shook his head. "Wheat-Chunks." He said, and tossed the blue box into the trolley.

"Cola-La-La?" Sari pointed to the fancy-looking display of soft drink.

"More like apple and guava juice." Prowl picked up two cartons.

"Is the next item on the list ice-cream?" Sari asked, hopefully.

"No, it's peach in juice tubs." Prowl replied.

"Aww, man..." Sari complained. On the way out of the shop, she spied the video game store, and made a mad dash for it, but Prowl held her back. "What?! Emma likes video games!"

"Yes, Semma," Prowl said, patiently. "However, at opportunities like this, there is but one store that Emma likes to visit."

"Which is?" Miko was amused by all of this.

"Manganime, home of all things manga and anime." Prowl replied, with a small smile.

"Yes!" Sari and Miko both cheered, and Miko added: "I can't _wait_ until she comes back to work!"

"Well, Emma _is_ a manga-addict, after all." Prowl reminded them.

"Is that why she was always broke back in her world?" Sari whispered to him, so that Miko wouldn't hear.

"That's right." Prowl replied.

* * *

"Hmm, strange..." Emma said, boiling up the two-minute noodles that she had gotten Sari into, and now she could enjoy them today, too. "For some reason I feel like I want _punch_ Prowl, _really_ hard...oh, and Sari, too..."

"How come?" Bumblebee asked her, as he chowed down on some potato chips.

"I don't know, Bee, I don't know..." Emma muttered.

Bumblebee grabbed one of her pigtails and yanked it, hard.

"Owch!" Emma complained. "What'dya do _that_ for?!" She rubbed at the side of her head. "They're _attached_, you know!"

"No getting melancholic, Esari!" Bumblebee shook his finger at her, again.

Emma shook her finger at him. "No using big words, _Bee_." She reminded him.

Bumblebee opened his mouth, and then closed it again, looking stunned, as Emma sat back, looking smug.

"Total ownage, noob!" Bulkhead spoke up, and both Emma and Bumblebee laughed. "Now, hurry up and eat, you two, I've got a _great_ idea for a painting that I want to do!"

"Yes, Sir!" Emma and Bumblebee cried, saluting.

* * *

"Psst, hey, Sari," Miko whispered to her, during their afternoon shift. "This is a special time for Emma, you know why?"

Sari shook her head. "No, why?"

"Because this is the time when Emma gets up on that stage over there and sings." Miko pointed to a small stage with a microphone.

"Oh?" Sari hadn't known that - Emma didn't talk about work very often. "So?"

"_So_, that means that _you_ have to get up there and sing, okay?" Miko grinned. "Go for it, girl! Sing some death metal!"

Sari cringed, not sure that the customers would appreciate that. She opted instead for a nicer song, one that Emma had been singing the other day, called _Love Is Energy_. Sari actually had a pretty good singing voice, and the customers warmed to her immediately. It was a cute song, and suited Sari. She was smiling by the end of her shift - maybe work wasn't so hard!

Mama Fuyano was staring intently at her and, during Sari's mid-afternoon break, she dragged the little girl into the kitchen.

"Choose two card!" She thrust the cards at the startled Sari.

"Wh-why?" The eight-year-old stammered.

"Choose now, no ask question!" Mama Fuyano snapped.

"Oh-kay then...here goes..." Sari selected two cards.

Mama Fuyano held them both out in front of her. "First card represent very near future, as in next few days and weeks. Second card represent love. You choose first card."

Sari did so, feeling perplexed.

Mama Fuyano held up the card, which was a calm, subtle brown colour. "You need warmth and comfort. Must pay attention to needs. Imagine Mother Bear and little cubs, and look into warm and welcoming brown, representing affection for self and others. You need hug!" Mama Fuyano quickly hugged a confused Sari. "Now, card of love!" She turned the card over, to reveal a red. "Ooh, red is feisty colour, but is all about energy and zest, not anger! Act or react! Think of energy of bull and strength of oak tree, as you look at intensely bright red! It represent life that going to bubble up in you," she reached out and placed an unobtrusive hand on Sari's chest. "Here. I sense strong force in you, Sari, force that even _you_ not aware of." She smiled one of her rare smiles. "You have many that care for you. No matter if they human or robot or both, is all good." She nodded firmly, just as Miko popped up out of nowhere.

"Ooh, do mine, Mama Fuyano!" She said, holding out her hands.

Mama Fuyano turned to her, and scrutinized her intensely. "Yes, yes, I see you have strong vibes too, Miko. Choose two card!" Miko chose two cards. "First is near future, yes, and second is love!"

Miko selected her cards' orders.

Sari watched, as Miko's first card was blue, representing calm and reflection that she was in need of. She needed to try and find her inner peace and take the time to think. By imagining a bird in flight or the flexibility of a reed blowing in the wind as she stared at infinite blue, it would represent her inner calm.

Her second card was pink, which represented her love. She was in need of tenderness and delicacy. She needed to develop and artistic sense. If she imagined an antelope running gracefully and looked into the delicate soft pink, then it would represent her sensitivity and her aesthetic needs.

None of this made any sense to Sari, but she remembered that Emma had said that Mama Fuyano was a fortune-teller, too.

_If _this_ is what Emma puts up with on a day-to-day basis, then it's no _wonder_ she can handle anything the Decepticons throw at her..._ Sari thought, which turned out to be a very ironic thought, indeed...

* * *

_On the moon...one could call this Dark Of The Moon..._

"Ah," Starscream said. "Never before have I seen a more impressive group of lethal fighting machines! And, pretty good-looking, if I do say so myself." _And, I do._ "That pompous bag of bolts Megatron won't know what hit him! Finally, I shall have my _revenge_!" He placed the head on the last clone, and then used his special All-Spark Fragment to place a tiny piece of life into his final clone.

The newest clone came online, and then cringed. "Us? Against Megatron? Are you _insane_?! Uh-uh...? I think just...sprang an oil-leak..."

Starscream didn't say anything, but he was getting a _strong_ feeling of deja vu...

"Silence, you fool!" The blue clone next to the coward said. "Megatron is a worthless pile of scrap-metal compared to _my_ genius!"

"Brilliant observation, _brilliant_," the yellow clone next to _him_ rubbed his hands together. "But, _your_ genius _pales_ in comparison to the genius of our leader, the _original_ Starscream!"

"Hmm, I could listen to _this_ one all day..." Starscream mused.

"What are you talking about?!" The white clone protested. "_I_ am the _original_ Starscream!"

"Liar!" Starscream snapped. "_I_, am the original Starscream!"

"I never said I was the original Starscream." The white clone replied.

"You just did, right now!" Starscream tapped the clone's chest.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No. I. Didn't."

The final clone suddenly decided to speak. This clone was grey and aqua, and it was a _girl_. _How_ that had happened, nobody in the universe could _ever_ figure out. "Oh, _haven't_ you figured it out, _yet_? _He's_ a pathological liar! Each of us clones, represents one aspect, of _your personality_!" She began pointing to them in order. "_He's_ a coward! _He's_ an egomaniac! He's a suck-up! He's a _liar_!"

"I am not!"

"So, which part of me did _you_ come from?" Starscream asked his femme clone.

"_Don't_ ask!" She snapped, because there was something on earth calling to her, but it wasn't the thing that Starscream was about to send her to find...

"You!" He pointed to her, and she rolled her beautiful crimson optics. "I need you to..."

"Go to earth." She finished for him.

He nodded. "Yes, and bring back..."

"The human femme called Emma, whom is really Angel in disguise." His clone said.

"Yes, and she'll be okay because..."

"Her powers will allow her to breathe and exist in space." The female clone rolled her optics again. "You _seem_ to think that I don't _know_ anything, but tell me this," she pointed at the other clones. "What are _they_ going to say about this?" Without even waiting for an answer, she took off.

Starscream watched her go, and then sighed. Did she _really_ need to ask that?

* * *

Sari was really starting to think that Emma did, in fact, have a fun job. She helped Miko make rice balls, and polished the waving Japanese cat on the counter. She even got to try some wasabi horseradish - it forced her to drink an entire cup of milk!

Just then, a family came in - a Mum and a Dad, and their two daughters...Charlie and Courtney!

"Oh, no..." Miko muttered. "These guys again..." She rolled her pretty light brown eyes.

"Do they...come in here often?" Sari wanted to know.

"Sadly, yes." Miko sighed. "Come on, or else Mama Fuyano will think we're slacking off..." She and Sari went to take the family's order.

"Oh, Sari, dear," the assistant that had once worked for Isaac and now worked for Powell recognized her instantly. "What are you doing here?" She looked down at Sari, a slightly condescending look in her eyes.

"I work here," Sari replied. "At least for today, anyway." She shrugged.

"Mum, I don't want to eat here if _she_ works here!" Courtney hissed. "I'll bet she spits in the food or something!"

"Courtney!" The assistant hissed, and Sari recalled that her name was Grace, or something else as equally unbefitting. "Remember your manners - you were raised better than _that_!" The 'that' could have meant anything, but Sari was sure that it was aimed at her.

"Oh, right, Mum." Courtney smiled.

Grace turned to Sari, and said: "I was so sorry to hear about your Father, dear. I _do_ hope that at least your _Mother_ was kind enough to take care of you...which, reminds me, I never _did_ hear Issac mention her...where is she? Is she taking care of you?" To any other person, this may have sounded like genuine concern, but both Sari and Miko heard otherwise.

Sari stared at the woman that she had never liked, and then said: "No, but I've got something _better_ than that - I've got my Nanny, and I've got the Autobots, and they're better than _your_ family, any day!" She turned and ran from the restaurant, not caring if she was shirking her duties at work, and pushing past Mama Fuyano as she ran out the door.

Mama Fuyano turned to her employee and said, calmly: "Miko, you go after her." Miko did so. Mama Fuyano then turned to Grace and her family, and said, in the coldest voice possible: "_Bad luck shall descend upon you_,_ and your family_!" A cold breeze blew throughout the restaurant, making everybody in there shudder. Then, in the brightest voice imaginable, Mama Fuyano chirped: "Now, may I take your order? The special today is _fugu_ fish!"

* * *

Miko caught up to Sari, to find her sitting on some swings at a nearby park. "Sari!" Miko hurried over to her, the boots that she wore with her uniform crunching on the gravel. She was unhappy to see the tears in Sari's maroon eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked her, gently, kneeling down and placing a hand on the little girl's knee.

Sari shook her head, and quickly wiped her eyes. "Miko...what my Dad's old assistant said to me...do you know...I don't _have_ a Mother..."

Miko pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sari...did she die?"

Sari shrugged. "I dunno...I never knew her...my Dad never mentions her, so, I guess...i don't have one..." She seemed confused.

Miko decided not to point out the obvious right then and, instead, remembering Sari's fortune, she gave the little girl a hug. Then, she ran around to the back of the swing, and began pushing it, before jumping onto the back of it and pushing it forwards with her momentum, keeping the swing swinging.

Prowl arrived, just in time to hear Miko start talking, as _usual_, but this time, she had something insightful to say...

"Sari, you know what?" Miko said, as they swung higher and higher. "My parents are back in Japan, and I worry about them all the time, especially after that earthquake Japan had at the end of last year! I couldn't get a hold of them for _weeks_! But, I _know_ that I've got a good family taking care of me right now, and so do you!"

Sari had begun to smile. "Yeah...yeah!" She grinned, as she and Miko aimed for the complete three-sixty that they believed a swing could achieve but, technically, it's been proven that it _can't_. "I guess so! I'm worried about my Dad, but I _know_ that he's still alive, and that he loves me! Meanwhile, I've got the Autobots, and I've got Emma! Hey, Miko, you should _meet_ the Autobots, I mean aside from Prowl - you'd _love_ them!"

"Too cool!" Miko cheered. "Hey, you know, my BFF Flora was mentioning something about you guys! If what she says is true, then I _really_ can't wait!"

"You're friends with Flora?!" Sari exclaimed.

"Sure am!" Miko replied. "We met online! On Head-Pages!"

"Too cool!" Sari cheered, and Prowl smiled. He had a feeling that Miko would get along _perfectly_ with Sari; Bumblebee; Bulkhead and Flora. Crazy birds of a feather tended to flock together, and they'd make good friends, even if they had the potential to annoy him. Something inside of Prowl had _changed_, and he was starting to become...more..._tolerant_...

Just then, the sound of a familiar car horn honked and Prowl turned to see Bumblebee, arriving with Bulkhead and Emma. He checked his internal clock - yes, it was the end of the twenty-four megacycles. Emma and Sari could officially switch back into their proper lives. Prowl was happy. He'd missed Emma.

She jumped out of Bumblebee's alt mode and hurried towards them, as Miko and Sari jumped off the swing.

Emma smiled at Prowl, and then went over to hug Sari.

"What was _that_ for?" Sari blinked.

"Sari, I had no _idea_ what a tough life you led!" Emma told her. "You can take your death metal and robo-monsters back, okay, kiddo?"

"Okay!" Sari grinned. "And, you can take your crazy boss-lady and weird shopping-lists back, too!"

Emma nodded, and then glanced at Miko. "_Konban wa_." She greeted the sixteen year old.

"Yo." Miko grinned. "Can I sign your cast?" She didn't even wait for a response, and instead produced a pen out of sub-space, and scrawled on the cast in her messy writing. "Hey, who's The-Elite-Guard-Speedster-The-Crown-Prince-Of-Energon-Sauce?!" Her eyes sparkled.

"That guy." Emma and Sari said in unison, as Bumblebee and Bulkhead came up to them.

"Whoa..." Miko said, looking first at Bumblebee (the self-proclaimed prince of energon), and then at Bulkhead, and locked gazes with the suddenly awkward-looking big bot. "You look _cool_! Are you a car? I bet you're a truck! A _monster_ truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball for a _punching_ bag?!" She air-punched. "So, come on, tell me - what do you _like_?!"

Bulkhead blinked for a second, and then said: "Uh...I like..._art_?"

Miko gasped. "Oh, me too! I love to draw! I should draw you sometime! Look, I drew a zombie-monkey on Emma's cast!" She trust Emma's arm out for all to see. "Isn't it cool? Say it's cool!"

"It's...cool..." Bulkhead gulped.

Miko grinned, and Bulkhead blushed.

Sari smiled, but then turned to her Nanny with a deadly serious expression, and said: "Okay, now that we're done spending a day walking in each other's shoes, can I have my key back now? I miss it..." She held out her hand.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Come on, kiddo, don't you have _enough_ around your neck as it is? This way, we both have _two_!" She added, referring to the key and Autobot insignia she currently wore (along with the Decepticon insignia that, miraculously, nobody had noticed yet), and the Autobot insignia and yellow crystal that Sari wore.

"_Em_-_ma_..." Sari complained.

Emma rolled her eyes again. "_Fi_-_ne_..." She reached up to take off the necklace, but something stopped her. "Guys...do you sense something?"

"Huh?" Miko and Sari asked in unison, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked mystified.

Prowl, however, swiftly tapped into Emma's thoughts, and felt what she felt - a familiar feeling and, yet, it was foreign, and un-welcomed.

Just then, a woman stepped out of the shadows and began to walk towards them. She had short black hair with subtle red tips, and was wearing a grey and aqua suit (the kind with a skirt and a tie) and had on black sunglasses, which she took off.

"So, Emma, aka _Angel_," the woman said, in a voice that sent chills down everybody's spines (or, whatever the Transformer equivalent of a spine is). "Starscream said I'd find you easily...guess he was right...for _once_..."

"_Slipstream_?!" Emma gasped, just as the femme transformed into her robot mode and lunged forwards, grabbing Emma in one hand, and then transforming, throwing Emma into her cockpit and taking off towards the sky.

"Oh my gods!" Miko cried.

"It's singular." Bulkhead told her.

"Never mind that, what about Emma?!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"She has my key!" Sari added.

Prowl had absolutely frozen, into place, unable to believe it. What now...?

* * *

Emma was absolutely frozen in place in the cockpit, or else she thought she may have fainted. It had all happened so fast...but, one of Starscream's clones had just kidnapped her, that much was for certain!

Emma opened her eyes, and shook her head groggily. Then, she gasped. All around her were stars, although dimmer than they would have been had she been standing on earth and not...well, trapped in the cockpit of a Decepticon clone!

As if picking up on these feelings, Slipstream said: "Calm down, I'm not gonna hurt ya."

"Oh my God, oh my God, flying, flying, in space, no air!" Emma panicked.

Slipstream sighed. "He didn't tell me you were paranoid...though, I guess I should've known..."

"Starscream?" Emma guessed, clutching at her seatbelt.

"No, the Energon Bunny!" Slipstream would have rolled her eyes, if she could have. "Yes, of _course_ it was Starscream, that pathetic excuse of a mech!"

"Hey, don't say anything bad about him!" Emma exclaimed. "I'm...still...trying to remember him..." She finished, meekly.

Slipstream groaned. "Do you have any idea how _annoying_ this is for me?! Just remember him already!"

"How?!" Emma exclaimed. "I don't even remember who _I_ am! Everybody keeps saying _Angel_ and I keep remembering things that make no sense, and...oh, forget it..." She sighed. "i'm so far out of my comfort zone that I've forgotten what it's _like_..."

"Good!" Slipstream sighed. "Because we're here...your All-Spark Force-Shield had _better_ work, okay?"

"What shield?! There's no shield?! Who told you that there was a shield?!" Emma saw a random Starscream-Clone, the white one, standing nearby. "IT WAS YOU!"

"Yes, it was!"

* * *

A bubble of blue energy, that came complete with its very own oxygen, surrounded Emma as soon as she set foot on the moon, and she realised that she was the first _woman_ to ever set foot on the moon..._ever_!

_Aaaaaa_... She thought, stunned, and then she looked up, as the Starscream-Clones crowded around her.

"He-ey, she's cute, beautiful even!" Sunstorm praised. "No wonder our glorious leader has his optics on her!"

"No, she's not, she's not even pretty!" Ramjet protested.

"I dunno, she looks s-strong!" Skywarp stammered.

"She cannot _possibly_ match up to the power that _I_ have!" Thundercracker boasted.

"Oh, would you mechs give it a _rest_, already!" Slipstream rolled her optics. _I crave more than this foolishness..._ She motioned to Emma. "Come, on, you!" She clicked her fingers and Emma, raising an eyebrow, decided to follow her.

_That's one small step for mankind...and, one giant leap for women!_

* * *

Back on earth, the others were in a tizzy.

"What are we gonna do?!" Sari cried, actually wringing her hands.

"Calm down!" Bulkhead told her. "It'll be okay!"

"He's right!" Miko said, unexpectedly. "Remember what Mama Fuyano said? Calm and reflection, and, umm, inner calm...yeah...calm..."

"Yeah..." Bumblebee said, slowly. "But...how's that gonna help Emma?"

Prowl, suddenly, had the answer. "Her cell phone!" He said.

"Great idea, Prowl!" Sari motioned to him. "Call her, quick! Don't you guys have, like, universal roaming, or something?"

Prowl nodded, and tapped into his com-link.

_Come on, Emma...pick up...please..._please_ be okay..._ Prowl didn't want to _think_ about the last time he had realised that she wasn't okay...back when she was...Angel...

* * *

Emma suddenly stopped, and answered her phone, not noticing Starscream approaching her.

"Hello?" She said, into the receiver.

"Hello, Emma?!" Prowl's voice came through, albeit a little bit static-y. "Emma, is that you?! Are you okay?!"

Emma nodded, even though he couldn't see her, and said: "Y-yes! P-Prowl, I'm on the moon, but the All-Spark's letting me breathe, but...Holy Primus, it's _Starscream_!" Emma suddenly dropped the phone, as Starscream appeared right in front of her in his holoform. "Starscream?! What are you...?!"

Emma's eyes opened wide suddenly, as Starscream grabbed her by the shoulders, and yanked her close to him. His brilliant scarlet eyes burned into her hazel eyes, drawing in her in. She felt her heart - and her spark - beat in shock, as the former Decepticon second-in-command leaned in towards her.

Even in her own private air-bubble, in the endless vacuum that was space, Emma felt the intense heat radiating from Starscream. She knew then and there, without a doubt, that they had known each other, for years...no, _stellar cycles_, before this meeting...he was somebody _very_ important to her...somebody she had _never_ wanted to lose...

However...there was a hint of possessiveness in his crimson eyes, and she could just about _taste_ the longing in the air between them but, really, what girl could _ever_ say that she'd been kissed by _Starscream_, and whilst standing on the _Moon_, of all places!

His kiss tasted like fire and honey, all at the same time! It was...sensual, and alluring, and it was _familiar_...Emma gasped, against Starscream's mouth, and felt his hands slide down from her shoulders, to her waist - oh, to the ticklish part of her waist! How did he _know_ that?! Of _course_ he knew it - he knew _her_! They'd known each other for a long time, back when she'd been a Transformer, but..._how_?

_Was I...a Decepticon...?_ Emma wondered, feeling a strange presence in her mind.

_That's riiiight..._ Starscream thought back at her, pulling her up against him as he deepened their kiss...


	18. A Little Pain

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level sexual content (at the beginning this time, once again not so bad...)

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

ringo-tensai – thanks so much, I'm starting to blush permanently now, thanks to you! ^/^

liliCartMan – rules were meant to be bended or, in this case, shredded. XD

WingBladeWeaver1357 - I hope that Ratchet doesn't catch you! And, yes, Starcream _is_ the jealous type...ah, ahem, I mean _Starscream_...

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A Little Pain

* * *

It was all a part of Starscream's master plan, of course. If Angel couldn't remember him, then damn it; he was going to _make_ her remember him! She had to remember _this_, at least!

_He_ certainly did and, judging by the look in her golden eyes, she seemed to, as well.

Starscream smirked against his spark-partner's soft lips, gently licking her lower lip and trying to resist the urge to take it any further. Oh Primus, that was _hard_ - Starscream was never one to curb any emotions he may be feeling. To _finally_ have his precious Angel (he knew that she preferred to be called by her human name, but Starscream just couldn't do that) right here in his grasp, nothing but him and her, the power of the (albeit weakened) All-Spark, in the endless expansed of space...oh, he'd waited too long for this!

Emma suddenly drew back from Starscream, unable to do much since he had a tight grip on her only good wrist. "W-wait..." She was blushing, flustered and confused, and Starscream could feel her spark pounding. "You...I..."

"Yes?" Starscream's red eyes burned into her hazel eyes.

"Umm...we kn-knew each other, a long time ago..." She stammered, and watched as his eyes lit up. "There was..." She closed her eyes, not taking into account the fact that Starscream could have just taken advantage of her during this time. "There was _me_, trying to transform and fly, and then _you_..." Her eyes snapped open. "_You pushed me off a cliff_!"

"Why do you remember _that_?!" Starscream cried, rolling his eyes. "Besides, you learned how to fly, didn't you?"

"But, that's not really the _point_ now, is it?" Emma retorted.

Starscream sighed, and suddenly rested his forehead against hers.

"Wh-what are you...?" Emma's eyes suddenly opened wide, as a barrage of memories suddenly flooded into her, like waves. "Ahhhh..." She breathed. The memories were cool and refreshing. "Now I see...oh my God..." Hot tears pricked at her eyelids. "The Vampires...they were the reason...Teramina was...but..." The key around her neck shimmered then, its energy adding to the memories but not deviating from the key itself. "I had sisters...two of them, and their spark-partners were comrades of yours...but, you and I...we never quite..._got_ there..."

She suddenly became aware of a _different_ feeling flowing into her from the All-Spark Fragment within Starscream's forehead. It frightened her a little bit...it was of _longing_. She got a glimpse of his thoughts. He _wanted_ her, her love and her power and her body and her very _being_...he'd wanted her to be with him for so long, and...Emma realised, she'd wanted him...when she was Angel, she was often infuriated by him and, yet, somehow...there was something important that she was forgetting...

Emma suddenly found herself pushing her thoughts towards Starscream, begging him to tell her what she was missing...Starscream responded by increasing the strength of his energy towards her, inviting her to come to him...

Emma's spark began to pulsate, causing the energy-sphere around them to shudder. She wasn't aware of what was happening, but Starscream knew perfectly well what he was about to do...unfortunately, so did his clones...

Starscream was just returning his lip's to his beloved spark-partner's mouth, seriously considering trying what the humans called a "French-Kiss", and he had just let go of her wrist to run his hands down her wait, leaving his thumbs suggestively around her bellybutton, when suddenly...

A man that looked almost exactly like Starscream suddenly crash-tackled him. That was when Starscream realised that there was one clone that he'd forgotten about.

"Why should _you_ be the only one of us to bond with your spark-partner?!" Thrust cried, pushing Starscream to the ground. "If she's _your_ spark-partner, then she's _ours_ as well!"

"A _brilliant_ observation, oh wonderful one!" Sunstorm was in his holoform, as well.

"But, why would she choose _him_ when she could be with the incredible _me_?!" Thundercracker mused.

Emma was stunned by this stage, her eyes the size of dinner-plates, as she tried to figure out what had just happened.

"I'm sure that it's _me_ that she wouldn't be able to resist going _all_ the way with!" Dirge said, tilting his chin up as he smirked greedily.

"Uh, m-maybe she could p-protect me, s-somehow?!" Skywarp stammered.

"_I_ don't want her, not at all!" Ramjet said, stubbornly.

Emma suddenly figured it out - she was just like _Snow White_! And, these guys were just like the seven (give or take a few) dwarves (with laser guns). She hoped...

Starscream was furious - Emma could sense that even _before_ he opened his mouth to yell at his clones.

"Stop _talking_ to yourself, Starscream!" Slipstream mocked.

"Don't start with me, woman!" Starscream snapped. He suddenly looked around, and saw only Emma's phone lying on the ground. "Where's Angel?"

The other clones looked around and then all of them, except for Slipstream and Skywarp, yelled: "You _lost_ her?!"

* * *

Emma, at that very moment in time, had indeed taken off, and sought refuge within the Nemesis. Scurrying through the gigantic halls like some kind of glowing blue mouse, Emma knew that every being of her essence was giving her away, namely to Starscream.

_He's in love with me, but he's a Decepticon, and I think I may have been one too!_ Emma was frantic. _The Autobots did something that hurt me, but what was it?! I can't hate them, I _love_ them, they've been so good to me, but..._ She stopped suddenly, staring at the room she had just come across. _Oh my God..._ A dull ache pierced into her heart, and she clutched at her chest as the blue energy around her throbbed along with the pain.

It reflected off the silver casings of the protoforms, and cast its light back on her.

"I...I remember..." Emma whispered, stepping slowly down the row of protoforms. "I _was_ a cyber-ninja...the protoforms were _our_ responsibility, but...if they'd never come here, then..." Emma thought about the hyperactive eight-year-old back on earth.

"Master Yoketron..." She whispered. "What would you say?"

Something suddenly caught Emma's eye, and she walked forwards, not even thinking about what the consequences of her actions were going to be...

* * *

Starscream succeeded in fighting off his clones, except for Skywarp because he hid.

Starscream now ran through the Nemesis, his footsteps clattering, as he scoured high and low for his missing spark-partner. He was picking up not only on Emma's energy, but on the approaching energy-signatures of two un-welcomed bots.

Starscream ran, Emma's scarf around his neck and trailing out behind him, which gave Slipstream the perfect opportunity to grab it and nearly choke him.

"OW!" Starscream complained. "You glitch, you-"

Slipstream slapped him, which he completely deserved. "You _idiot_!" The woman snapped. "Right now, _she's_ in the hall of protoforms, about to activate Primus knows _what_!"

Starscream gaped, just as the unmistakeable sounds of a battle erupted from outside. The original and his femme-clone exchanged a quick glance, drew a quick alliance, and then took off running...

* * *

Prowl hadn't wanted to do it. He knew that he was _probably_ going to regret it sometime sooner rather than later, but he had no choice. He needed to get to the moon, and only _one_ bot he knew at the present time had the means of getting him there.

"Knew you'd be seeing things my way, kid." Lockdown had said, engaging the hyper-drive on his ship.

"Just shut up and drive." Prowl had snapped back.

There was still no love lost between them.

Once arriving on the moon, Prowl and Lockdown had called a temporary truce, to take down the clones that were waiting for them. Lockdown was thrilled to be able to battle them, and possibly even take their mods.

Prowl just wanted to get to Emma, and used the battle as a cover to get onboard the Nemesis - he could sense that something was happening with Emma's spark, and it led him to her.

Suddenly, Prowl felt a shift in the already delicate balance's of Emma's spark, a desperate cry for reassurance and help and...what was that last part?

She was scared - _really_, scared.

Prowl was practically a blur by this stage, something more than his feelings carrying him towards that girl...there was something burning in his chest-plates that became fiercer, it was..._rivalry_...

Something was happening, something that could destroy him, and he suddenly knew the Decepticon that was responsible for it!

"_Starscream_!" Prowl shouted, stopping suddenly, as a Transformer came towards him. It wasn't Starscream, however, it was was Slipstream and, in her hands was... "Emma!"

A blue light glowed around Emma, providing her her oxygen and safety.

Slipstream had an unreadable expression on her face, one that actually scared Prowl but he wouldn't say it. "Come and take her." The femme said flatly.

Prowl took a hesitant step forwards.

Slipstream sighed in frustration. "Look, do you want to get out of here in one piece or not because, believe me, my Decepticon programing could kick in at any second, ninja-boy!"

Prowl quickly approached her now, and she leaned down (how was it that she was taller than him?) and handed Emma to him.

A sudden smile that was more like a smirk graced the femme's black lips, suddenly. "Heh...good luck, Autobot...see ya!" She transformed and flew off, quickly. Her sudden departure confused Prowl but, as Emma began to stir in his hands, he knew that it was time to leave.

Prowl quickly radioed Lockdown, as he stealthily made his way back to Death's ead. "Lockdown! We need to leave!"

"Aww, really?" Lockdown sounded calm, despite having three Decepticons on top of him at once (in an 'I'm-going-to-kill-you' way, and nothing else). "It was just getting fun..."

"Come back here _now_, or else I'm leaving without you!" Prowl said firmly, just as an explosion rocked the ship.

"You sure?"

"NOW!"

"Okay, okay, jeez Prowl, don't get your axels in a spin..." Lockdown swiftly got rid of all three Decepticons in one kick. "You owe me a few new mods though, kid..."

* * *

The clones watched as Death's Head took off towards earth.

"Well...there goes my power..." Greedy-Dirge muttered.

Lying-Ramjet exclaimed: "This isn't my fault...is it?!"

"It's _all_ your fault, oh brilliant one!" Suck-Up-Sunstorm told him.

"_I_ could have stopped them, but I chose not to out of _sheer_ will-power!" Egomaniac-Thundercracker boasted.

"I wish she'd chosen _me_!" Envious-Thrust pouted.

Cowardly-Skywarp peeked out from behind the Nemesis. "Is-is it over, yet?" He glanced at his arm. "Whaa! My laser's missing!"

Meanwhile, inside the Nemesis itself, Slipstream was patiently waiting for Starscream to come back online. He was going to _die_ when he found out what had happened...

* * *

Emma awoke groggily, feeling a warmth all over her body and hearing the steady humming of circuitry from all around her.

"...H-Drive's down, not completely, but it'll take us awhile to get back..."

Emma's eyes shot open. "Lockdown?!" She sat up, and realised that she was in Prowl's arms.

Lockdown turned from the controls to look at Emma and Prowl. "Relax, kid, I'm not the enemy - not right now..." He rolled his scarlet optics at the glare he got from Prowl. "Okay, okay. Look, as I was saying, it'll take us about a day to return to earth, so you might as well get comfortable. I _did_ get a nice arm-cannon from one of those Starscreams, so I'm gonna go and try it out, since you two look like you could use some alone time..." He left the room.

Prowl sensed Emma's embarrassed-feelings, and sent a gentle reassurance to her. She responded timidly, testing the ground.

_I'm so confused..._ Emma admitted, keeping her face buried in her arms. _I..._ She couldn't finish the sentence, because it sounded weird...

_You don't know what you are?_ Prowl guessed.

Emma nodded. "Starscream," she said out-loud, and Prowl stiffened. "He _knows_ me, I mean really _knows_ me, but...his clones freaked me out, I don't think they feel the same as _he_ feels, but they're picking up on something..." She shuddered. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..." Prowl said, soothingly, gently making his way into her mind, until he found what he was looking for, and he drew in a sharp intake of breath. That Decepticon _creep_, that _bastard_, had _kissed_ her! Had licked her lips, placed his hands on her _body_...

Prowl was silently furious, and Emma picked up on this. She could sense it with every fibre in her body, almost as if the rage was her own. She looked up, and said, quietly: "P-Prowl?" He glanced down at her. "Could you please...umm...assume your holoform?" She stammered.

Prowl almost smiled. "Okay...?" He did as she wanted him to. For some reason, he had trouble saying no to Emma.

Emma's face was red, but she seemed to feel the need to say something right them. "P-Prowl, I-I'm not sure how to word this, so I'm just gonna say it!" She set her face, in a way that reminded Prowl _instantly_ of Angel.

_It's her...it's her...it's her!_

Emma said: "I've only ever been k-kissed by two guys...J-Jazz and Starscream..." Prowl's face remained unreadable, but there was a look she was getting within his eyes and from his spark. He was hurt - not by her, but by the other didn't _understand_ it. She didn't even know what she _needed_, unless she was with one or the other, or...that day, at the station, had been a good day, somehow. Emma said: "But, I've never had a boyfriend before! Men don't _like_ me, I had crushes in school that only ended badly, like so many other things in my life! I don't know how to talk to guys but, for some reason, I can talk to _you_! I feel like I can tell you _anything_, that I can _be_ anything..." She looked right into his eyes, something that she didn't do very often. "Whether it's Angel or Emma, I feel like...somehow...we were...meant to...be..." She finished in a whisper. "More than anything..." Her voice was constricting by this stage, and one hand clutched her stomach and the other clutched her throat. "I'm..._watashi-tachi ni narita kute_..." She said suddenly, in Japanese.

Prowl's spark hammered in his chest. Emma had just said...she wanted to...be together...with him...

"Emma," Prow said, choosing his words carefully. "For so long, I wanted to commune with the All-Spark, to seek its forgiveness. Long ago, I knew a stubborn and spirited femme with a power like yours...her name was Angel..." Emma looked up, gasping. "Emma...I...I think that you _are_ Angel...but, it doesn't matter if you are or aren't." He shook his head firmly. "You are whatever you are...Emma...may I...kiss you?" Prowl was blushing.

Emma was too, by this stage, and her spark gave a painful thud. "Y-you know, you're the only one that's ever...a-asked..." She smiled suddenly, although she seemed nervous. "Prowl...please...yes..." Did she sound desperate? Well, maybe she _was_ - ever since she'd first seen him, back on the TV and then later on in real life, teaching Bulkhead back at the base...she'd wanted to know him...she'd wanted to...be together...with...him...

Prowl hesitated for only a nano-second, wondering what Gods had been smiling upon him or if it was really just the All-Spark.

Prowl leaned forwards, his face mere inches from Emma's. From this short distance, each could sense things about the other...the cool fragrance about Prowl, and the peach shampoo-smell in Emma's hair.

Prowl pressed his lips to Emma's, startled at once by the bolt of electricity that ran through him, as was she. It didn't cause them to draw apart, however - on the contrary, Prowl's right hand looped around the back of Emma's neck, angling her face up to deepen their kiss. His left hand unobtrusively touched her chest, feeling for beat of her heart and spark. It didn't matter - her right hand was on _his_ chest, feeling for the beat of his spark.

They both felt it at the same time - their life-forces, beating in unison.

Different from kissing Jazz and Starscream for Emma, was the fact that, this time, she _really_ wanted it - she had wanted Prowl to kiss her for _God_ knows how long, and now he was! They weren't on earth and they weren't on the moon - they were in space, aboard the ship of a bounty-hunter that was currently spying on them and harboring mixed-feelings that stemmed from the relationship that Lockdown had had with Angel, that was a different kind of love. It didn't matter - all that mattered was that, _finally_, the two of them were together, and they knew then and there that it was where they both belonged...

* * *

From somewhere, somebot that Emma and Prowl both loved was watching, and smiling.

Master Yoketron's blue optics sparkled, as he proclaimed: "You did good."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The title of the chapter comes from the song of the same name, which starts of with: "_Travel to...the moon_..." The song is here: watch?v=tbN9BzvbedY


	19. Surprise?

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

WingBladeWeaver1357 – don't mind Prowl, use all the language you want! XD *Joins in with your singing*

ringo-tensai – hi. :) Yes, way to go Prowl! Miko was actually kind of a last-minute thing, because I needed to find somebody to put in there, and I came across her when watching _Prime_ and I thought that she fit in well. She'll keep showing up from time to time.

Magical Princess – yes, it certainly is. ^_^

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Surprise?

* * *

From that moment on, it seemed like Prowl and Emma were never apart. Everybody else was becoming increasingly aware of the changes in both their behaviours, like Emma's sometimes constant humming, and Prowl seeming to be more sociable. Or, like, when Bumblebee accidentally crashed into Prowl when the ninja-bot was meditating on the rooftop and Prowl just shook his head and smiled slightly, or when Sari was allowed to throw away a whole entire day of studying in favour of going to the Policemen's Monster Truck Rally with Bumblebee; Bulkhead; Flora and Miko. Prowl offered to teach Bumblebee circuit-su, and Emma let Miko put pink dye in the tips of her hair.

Sari, with Scuz perched on her head, peeked through the blinds on the doorway to Prowl's room one day, to see Emma and Prowl kissing each other tenderly. The sunlight was shining on them from the skylight, and there was a sense of peace and tranquillity in the air that even _Sari_ could sense.

_Hmm…_ Sari mused, as she walked back to the main room, thoughtfully. _I'm so glad they finally got together…sometimes I wonder what it's gonna be like when _I'm_ that age…it _would_ be kind of nice to be an adult and have somebody like Prowl…I wonder…_ Sari stopped in the doorway, and watched as Bumblebee annihilated a zombie-witch on _Robots VS The Undead III_. _What would Bumblebee think of me if I was all grown-up?_ Sari then shook her head quickly, as Scuz clung on for dear life. _What the…where did_ that_ come from?!_ She heard laughter from down the hallway.

"If this season had a song," Emma was saying. "Would it be _Summer Loving_, from _Grease_?"

Prowl laughed gently. "Your world has some strange movies, Em." He told her.

"You have _no_ idea, Prowler." She replied.

Sari rolled her eyes. _Oh, right…they say that sort of thing is contagious…I'm glad I'm a kid!_

* * *

"What's wrong, Ratchet?" Optimus wanted to know, as he came into the med bay about a week after this latest incident. Prowl was on his way out, holding Emma in his arms. She was pale, and held a bucket in her hands, but managed a small smile at Optimus as he passed by.

"Kid's having a hard time keeping things down." Ratchet replied, shaking his head. "Said she's been feeling weird for awhile but, then again, that could always just be…" He trailed off, meaningfully.

Optimus nodded. "Yeah, about that…look, I know it's none of our business, but…did you get the feeling that there was…" He paused, wondering how to word this. "Well, I dunno…she seemed to get along well with Jazz, and then he called when she was in that fire…"

"You're right, it _is_ none of our business." Ratchet said firmly, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"Yeah, but I just assumed that they were…" Optimus sighed. "I mean, not that I'd _know_ or anything," (Okay, so that was a lie). "But, I just…I got the sense that…"

Ratchet sighed, and placed a servo on Optimus' shoulder. "Look, it's better not to get involved with it, Prime. They'll sort it out. For now, no matter _how_ annoying it is, we should just try and be happy for Emma and Prowl." Ratchet glanced at Optimus. "What are you so worried about, anyway?"

Optimus was about to reply, when they heard Prowl say from down the hall: "Bumblebee, go and tell Prime that the Elite Guard is on the com."

"PRIME!" Bumblebee shouted. "TELEPHONE!"

Optimus could just _picture_ Prowl face-palming, as he said: "Bumblebee, _I_ could have done that…" He sounded vexed, which was unusual for him, lately.

"Oh, lighten up, Prowl!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "You're just upset because Emma's..."

THWAK!

Optimus and Ratchet exchanged a glance, and then walked out into the communications room. There, they found Bumblebee rubbing the back of his head as Prowl glared angrily at him, and Sari was nervously fiddling with her key, Bulkhead was looking perplexed, and Emma was perched up on the bench in front of the communications monitor. She was blushing, but she looked happy, as she chatted to none other than the white cyber-ninja, Jazz. Jazz's face on-screen looked just as happy, and he was telling her about something Sentinel had done as soon as they'd arrived back on Cybertron.

"And then," Jazz was saying, as Optimus and Ratchet came into the room. "SP just takes a _wild_ fall, _straight_ into the nearby oil supplies!"

Emma was laughing by this stage.

"But _then_, dig this," Jazz was grinning. "It wasn't just your regular, run-of-the-mill oil, either..."

"Oh, no..." Emma grinned.

"It was _used_ oil, swingin' in _straight_ from the _sewers_ that over-ran!" Jazz finished.

Emma held her sides as she pictured the scene. "Oh, poor Sentinel, I know I shouldn't be laughing, but...he must've looked so..." She and Jazz were both laughing.

Prowl switched his glare to the screen for a second, before his expression turned blank.

Optimus looked at Ratchet, and said, quietly: "_That's_ what I was afraid of."

* * *

A few days later, towards the end of August, when the weather was cooling down again, Emma was feeling unwell for the third morning in a row, and sitting next to a bucket that, thankfully, she hadn't had to use yet. She had a feeling that the iced donuts she had eaten had something to do with it, which was strange, because she hardly ever ate such sweet things. But, just lately, she'd had cravings for triple-chocolate donuts and, strangely enough, red bean paste with green-tea ice-cream. Luckily, she worked at a Japanese restaurant, so the second one was also obtainable. She was enjoying her work far more than she _ever_ thought she'd enjoy work. She was able to talk to all the people at work now, and Miko had latched onto her (and the Autobots) like Emma had thought that she would. Was this Miko from _Transformers Prime_, or a different Miko? Emma wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter to her much, as she watched Prowl move gracefully through a training exercise.

The way he moved, it was like...a cross between running water and shimmering sunlight...

Emma shook her head, and smiled. She was starting to sound like a _Twilight_ fan-girl. Then, she recalled the Vampires, and shuddered slightly. She had been having nightmares about Vampires, and had even had a nightmare that she was Bella, and had had a baby that had fangs. The baby had even had red eyes. _That_ had been scary. It made her think of Starscream, which wasn't so scary, and of the Vampire that Soundwave had killed, which _was_...

Emma glanced at her computer screen, at a memorial page on Head-Pages for Melody Richards. Lots of people had Liked the page, and were commenting on it (even people from other countries) and most of the messages came from Otono Nami. Emma had thought it was a girl, but it turned out that Otono Nami was a guy. Emma did a quick search, and found out that this guy had been Melody's boyfriend.

Huh. Strange name, for a guy...unless...

Emma stared at the name for a moment, before going to Otono Nami's page and looking at his profile picture.

"No..." She whispered, feeling faint again. _Otono Nami...Oto No Nami...wave of sound...SOUNDWAVE?!_

Emma leaned back against the wall, thinking. Soundwave had _said_ that his only objective had been revenge on the Vampires (and, for that, he needed her, the All-Spark Holder, in one piece) and Melody had been murdered by a Vampire, so...

There was only _one_ way that Soundwave could have overridden his programming, and gotten over his hatred of humans - if his spark-partner _was_ a human. He had saved Emma from the Vampire that had stalked her when she'd fallen asleep in the library, by mimicking her voice and messaging Prowl...because he hadn't been able to protect Melody...

Damo had killed Melody, and then Scarlet...because he'd been bent on revenge against Emma, and had been killing the girls he'd come across to try and find her...

This had happened before...the Vampires had done something like this before...a long time ago...

Emma wasn't aware that she was crying, until Sari and Prowl approached her.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Sari looked concerned, blinking up at Emma from beneath her yellow helmet.

Emma gulped, and swiped hastily at her eyes, before getting to her feet. "I-I'm not feeling too well again, so I'm gonna go lie down..." She glanced up at Prowl and, seeing the concerned look in his brilliant blue optics, attempted a small smile, before beating a hasty retreat.

She had intended to go straight to her bedroom, but she had to make a stop over at the bathroom, first. Prowl was right behind her, of course, to hold her pink-tipped maroon hair back as she was sick, again.

"You don't need to see this..." Emma groaned, closing her eyes in embarrassment. _This is...horrible..._

"It's okay." Prowl said, soothingly, waiting as she rinsed out her mouth before carrying her to her bedroom and laying her down on her bed. "I think we may have to go, Mixmaster and Scrapper are causing trouble again."

"What?!" Emma tried to sit up, but Prowl's gentle hand pushed her back down.

"We'll be fine," Prowl said, firmly but gently, as he ran a finger across Emma's clammy forehead. "You just stay here and rest, okay?" He gently pulled the light sheets up over Emma.

She peeked out from under them, her hazel eyes looking ashamed as she nodded, mutely.

Prowl felt bad that he couldn't stay with her when she felt like this, but duty did call from time to time and, besides, Emma would be safer here, in the base.

He glanced over his shoulder at her before leaving, and she lowered the blankets just enough to smile at him, before retreating into their darkness once again.

Prowl smiled, and left.

* * *

Emma began to feel better about five minutes later. However, she was still feeling too sick to get up, but not sick enough to sleep, and so she adjusted her position about six hundred times; had a staring contest with Scuz (he won) and sung _Lullaby For A Stormy Night_ and _Secret Garden_. Just as she sung the last haunting note of _Secret Garden_, she felt a sharp pain throughout her body, mainly in her stomach, and she hoped that she wouldn't be sick again.

Emma threw the covers off of her and sat up, closing her eyes briefly. She knew that now was no time to be sick - Mixmaster and Scrapper would be showing up soon, and Sari would have to defend their home. Would she be okay, without Emma's help?

Emma hoped so because, right now, she needed something to settle her stomach, maybe the American-version of Ibuprofen - Pepto-Bismol. She had some in her bag. She'd used it one time in January, when her period pain had been unbearable...

Emma suddenly froze, with her legs swung out over the bed, but the rest of her still lying down. She stayed that way for a long time, forgetting everything else. Then, she started counting in her head. Once. Twice. Again.

She counted one more time, wondering what she'd been doing for the last few months that had seemed so important...oh, wait, she'd been Prowl's girlfriend, that _was_, important, but now...

She counted for the final time but, no matter _which_ way she looked at it, the outcome was still the same. The dreams...the crying...the cravings...oh no, oh no, _oh no_!

"How?!" Emma cried, out-loud, getting up now and starting to pace. "How?! How did I get...how did this...what is...I didn't even _do_ anything!" She drew up her top, and didn't see anything different. No obvious bump on her stomach, or anything like that. Was it something else? "But..." She knelt down by her bed, and looked at Scuz. "Scuz, what's going on?" The echidna had no answers for her. She jumped back up and continued with her pacing. "but...the only thing that I can _think_ of is that...oh no!" She cried, once again, and her hand flew to the necklace she wore, the Autobot pendant and, more importantly, the Decepticon pendant. She froze now, staring at her terrified expression in the full-length mirror in the corner of her makeshift bedroom at the base. "The protoforms...the reaction my All-Spark Fragments had when I touched the protoforms...the light that enveloped me and the protoforms...no, no, _no_!" She burst into tears, sinking to her knees in front of the mirror. "How did that happen?! Is that normal?! No, I'm not _normal_!"

Scuz was seriously worried by this stage.

And, to further _add_ to his worries, Emma suddenly jumped up, and declared: "I have to go ask Victoria!" She sprinted out of the room to find Sari's phone (her phone was still on the moon).

Scuz watched in his usual silence, before curling up on the pillow for a nap.

* * *

Victoria was silent, as Emma sobbed into her tissues and, eventually, Emma managed to get her entire story out.

Victoria was perfectly still, as Emma's shoulders shook and then she asked, in the calmest voice imaginable: "Are you ready for it?"

Emma looked up quickly. "_No_!" She cried. "I mean, no...I...don't know anything about kids! Besides, _how_ did this even happen?! Is it _supposed_ to happen?!" She looked down again. "Shouldn't they just...you know...take shape?"

Victoria was still calm - how had Emma _ever_ thought that Victoria was cold and heartless?

There was a knock on the door, and Victoria said, quietly: "Enter." She sounded calm, still.

Sai entered, and Emma realised, vaguely, that Sai had knocked and Victoria had spoken only for her benefit. Sai would have known that it was okay to enter...

Victoria and Sai exchanged a glance, and Sai nodded calmly. He approached Emma, and she looked up at the Autobot's holoform, her golden eyes weary.

Sai's electric blue eyes were peaceful, as he held out his hands, one to her forehead and one to her shoulder. He paused, and Emma closed her eyes.

When Sai's hands made contact with her skin, Emma went still, as a thousand images flooded into her mind but didn't shock her like they _usually_ did. Instead, they calmed her down, and sent waves of reassurance through her, easing her mind.

Of three things, she became absolutely certain:

One, she was pregnant. This was not through normal methods but, rather, she had _absorbed_ the protoform with her power, which had in turn given it a sparks the _moment_ it had entered her body. It still needed time to develop, however, and thus had sought refuge within her. It was nothing to be scared of. It wasn't a parasite, feeding off of her life-force (and, green-tea ice-cream) but, rather, something that needed her protection and nurturing.

Two, women, whether they be human or not, had been _made_ to have babies since time had begun and, so, her body would know what to do, no matter. Furthermore, she _herself_ would know what to do, because it was just something that happened. It was _instinct_. Like _all_ Mums, it would just fall into place, naturally. Also, she would know how to hold her child when it happened, and everything that Rickie-Lee had said was just slag.

And, three, this was no normal child. It was, clearly, half Cybertronian and half human, due to the nature of it being a protoform and, yet, being developed within the body of a human. The All-Spark Fragments, surely, would empower it, and it would develop much faster than a normal child.

Aka, she was going to give birth within the next week or so...

"_What_?!" Emma screeched, opening her eyes and pushing herself back - she would have fallen off the chair had Sai not grabbed her arm, ninja-bot reflexes and all. "A _week_?! Plus, I have to give _birth_?! Will it hurt?!"

"Yes." A voice said from behind her, and they all looked to see Carly; Spike; Miko; Fanzone; Flora and Flora's Mother standing there. Flora's Mother, whose name happened to be Fuchsia, was smiling, and Carly was nodding, as Flora and Miko bounded in.

Emma gasped. "Who let you in?!" She cried, as Flora and Miko pounced on her, and placed their hands on her belly, as was the norm. Emma looked helplessly at Fuchsia. "What do you mean it will _hurt_?!" She looked over at Carly, who had Daniel with her. "_Really_?"

Both the blonde-haired women nodded. "Don't worry," Carly added, exchanging a smile with her Aunty Victoria. "From what I've heard from Aunty V., you're tough. It stops hurting once the baby's out." She added, as an afterthought.

Emma groaned. "Not helping." She replied.

"Will you be taking maternity leave from work?" Flora wanted to know.

"What should I tell Mama Fuyano?" Miko added.

"What names have you picked out so far?" Flora asked.

"Why didn't you _tell_ us?!" Miko scolded.

"Did you tell everyone yet?" Flora meant Sari and the Autobots.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?!" Miko asked, excitedly.

"How far along are you?" Flora questioned.

"Who's the Father?" Miko added, and Emma froze.

Sai and Victoria exchanged a glance.

"Y-yeah, _about_ that..." Emma placed her head in her hand. _I can't handle this..._

* * *

Emma walked back into the base that evening, feeling worn out. She'd tried explaining to everybody what was going on, with some help from Victoria (Sai had vanished), but it had been _hard_ to explain robot-terms to a bunch of humans, including one that claimed to hate machines.

Only Miko and Flora had seemed to be understanding, but at least nobody had run for the hills (yet)...Emma guessed that she would just have to deal with this.

One thing Victoria had advised her was to _tell_ Prowl, and the others, preferably _before_ it happened, to avoid any nasty little surprises. Emma thought so too, but _telling_ somebody was going to be hard. Heck, it had been hard enough to tell Victoria and the others, and now she had to tell her new family, too?!

"I can't _do_ this!" Emma cried, in frustration, as she walked into the base, and was nearly bowled over by Sari. "You _gotta_ stop doing this, kiddo!" Emma exclaimed, as Sari hugged her fiercely, and this time, Emma winced. A sharp pain had shot through her stomach, where one hand flew to in surprise.

Sari didn't notice. "Come on, everybody's been worried sick!" She grabbed Emma's hand, and dragged her into the base, through a hole burned into the garage-door by acid.

"They have?" Emma groaned. "Oh _no_...Sari, what _happened_ when I was out?"

"We got broken into, but _I_ scared them off." Sari said, proudly.

"You did? Good girl." Emma smiled, not needing to ask anymore.

_"_Hey, guys!" Sari shouted ahead of them. "Emma's back! She's okay!"

"Emma!" About three voices cried, and everybody rushed into the main room to greet her. Prowl scooped her up. "We were _worried_!" The ninja-bot informed her.

Emma blinked. "I'm fine..." She glanced up at Prowl's face, and he looked down at her, not bothering to hide the emotion in his blue optics. Emma blinked back tears. "Wait...no, I'm not...Prowl...I...I need to talk to you...privately..." She said, in a very small voice.

Prowl looked at her, and felt a deep sense of confusion and unknowing within her, and nodded silently.

* * *

They went up onto the rooftop to talk, since that was the most private place in which they could go. They sat side-by-side in silence for about five minutes, with Emma not ready to talk yet and Prowl not wanting to push her.

He could sense that, whatever she needed to tell him, it was _big_, bigger than anything they had handled before but, for some odd reason, he wasn't afraid. Just anticipating, and waiting to support her.

Perhaps this _was_ it...being here was what he'd been searching for, all along...in his holoform, he glanced over at the girl he cared about more than anything, and waited for her to speak...

Emma suddenly took a deep breath, and let it out, slowly. "Okay, here's the thing...when I was up there," she pointed up. "On the moon...I...I managed to break away from Starscream when one of his clones attacked him, and then I ran aboard the Nemesis and got a bit lost..."

Prowl nodded silently. He had his right hand over her left hand on the ground between them, a silent but warm reassurance.

"So," Emma went on, not looking at him. Her stomach was clenching again, which had nothing to do with her condition. What would Prowl _say_? "I found this _room_ up there, with these liquid-metal _bodies_ in there...p-protoforms."

Prowl's eyes widened. Did he just hear her correctly? Did she just say..._protoforms_?

Emma's hands shook, just then. "S-so, I walked into the room, and I felt something _pulling_ me in a direction...so I walked over there, and..." She broke off, closing her eyes, looking mortified all of a sudden.

_And?_ Prowl thought at her, putting his arms around her shoulders. She flinched, but didn't pull away, although he could sense her hesitation - she was scared. She'd been scared for awhile now, about relaxing around him, but Prowl couldn't _quite_ pinpoint the reason. _What happened, Em?_

_Prowler...?_ She thought back at him, and then relaxed, a tiny bit. _O-okay..._ She recalled the memory for him to see. It was as clear as day in both their mind and, when it was finished, Emma was crying silently, and Prowl had her pulled up tight against his chest.

They stayed that way for a long time, before Prowl said, quietly: "We should go and talk to Ratchet."

Emma looked up at him, her golden eyes worried. "Wh-what if he says...what if this is not meant to happen? What if...?"

Prowl leaned forwards, and pressed his lips to her forehead. Emma felt a rush of emotions from him just then - namely protectiveness and devotion but, underlying all of that, there was _pride_. She couldn't fathom why, though...

* * *

In the med bay, Ratchet listened silently, as Prowl explained the situation to him, and Emma sat on the berth, her knees drawn up around her chest, and she was looking ashamed of herself. Ratchet noted her position as well, and the slight protective way in which Prowl was acting. And, by _slight_, Ratchet meant _complete_. Ratchet shook his head and sighed. He should have _known_ that this was about to happen. As Prowl told how Emma had seen the protoform shining in the same blue light as the All-Spark and, when she had touched it, the protoform had been absorbed into her body and she'd whited out, Ratchet performed a quick, unobtrusive scan on Emma's body.

He paused, and tried to scan again.

Prowl broke off his sentence, and looked at Ratchet curiously. "What's...?"

Emma looked worried. "Wrong?"

Ratchet shook his head. "I can't get a scan on it...well, not a _complete_ scan, but..." He sighed. "Okay. Prowl, you probably already know this, but Emma doesn't - a Cybertronian femme carries a sparkling within her much the same as a human female does." Emma turned about fifty shades of red. "And, even then, we can get a scan on the developing sparkling inside of her. However, the fact that I can't get a full reading on _this_ one may very well have something to do with the nature of which it was acquired, and also maybe because of the All-Spark. It's possibly protecting the sparkling from the scans."

"You mean the scans are _dangerous_ for it?!" Emma gasped, and drew her legs up closer to her stomach. "Ratchet, don't do it again!"

"_Not_ from the scans!" Ratchet snapped, impatiently, but not with as much impatience as he _usually_ would have. This was a very special case, after all. "From _everything_ - it's the All-Spark's way of protecting you, and your sparkling. I can't get an energy signature from the sparkling, and I can't pick up your All-Spark energy, either. It's technology's way of saying 'you're in safe servos, now'." He folded his arms.

"Oh." Emma nodded. "Sorry, Ratchet. I guess I'm just...scared." She admitted, looking down. "And, confused. C-Can you not tell anybody? You know...doctor-patient confidentiality?"

As soon as she said that, Ratchet knew that he couldn't say anything to the others. He was bound by his medic-bot laws, after all...

Emma sighed. "I'm not sure if I can do this..."

"You can do it." Prowl said, immediately. He went over to her, and assumed his holoform, sitting beside her as she adjusted her position almost subconsciously - she was now sitting cross-legged - and he placed a hand against her belly. "I'll help you..."

Almost at once, Emma felt a warm sensation within her stomach, and a feeling of happiness. Was that Prowl, or the sparkling?

Prowl suddenly thought an image to her - it was of a beautiful silver femme with wings...Angel...

_That's what you used to look like..._ Prowl thought to her.

_Me?_ Emma leaned against his shoulder. _I was really...her?_

_Mmhmm._ Prowl breathed in deeply - the scent of flowers was in Emma's red and pink hair again. _I don't know how it happened or why, but I just know that I've known you before..._

_Do you think we should tell the others?_ Emma wanted to know. _We haven't mentioned it yet, but...?_

Prowl sensed her hesitation, and knew that she was worrying. Emma was a secret-keeper, she disliked divulging information about herself, especially where she might get hurt. He knew that it must've taken her extraordinary courage today to tell Victoria and the others.

Prowl drew her closer to him, and began humming a song, which Emma recognized as the theme from _Friends_, and she immediately began to hum along with them, and felt the same warm feeling in her stomach as before.

The sparkling _liked_ the sound of their humming!

Emma and Prowl stayed like this for some time, content with each other's company - Emma was glad that Prowl was there for her, and he _liked_ the idea of her having to rely on him for a change (instead of being so stubbornly independent at times!).

Ratchet stood back from their golden moment, feeling slightly depressed. "Okay, don't mind me, I'll just leave, now..." He walked out of the med bay, thinking about somebody back on Cybertron, and wondering when he'd see her again...

* * *

In the Decepticon Base, Megatron was feeling restless. Blitzwing; Lugnut; Mixmaster and Scrapper had gotten drunk on high-grade energon, and Mixmaster was talking about femmes and Blitzwing was talking about his ex-girlfriend. This was getting to be a real ache in the processor, for Megatron...

He knew that it was time to act...his space bridge would soon be complete and, then...

It would begin...

* * *

watch?v=mlmhMS_luX8 - Lullaby For A Stormy Night

watch?v=YjBHUfv40pM&feature=related - Nocturne

watch?v=2vuaqDDr-Q - I'll Be There For You


	20. Watching Over Me

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Medical procedures

. Low level sexual references

. Adult themes

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

ringo-tensai - I probably should have put a radical-changes-warning in the last chapter. ^_^ Starscream and Jazz...well, you'll just have to wait for those two and their reactions! I like Soundwave and Barricade, too! Prowl; Bumblebee and Blurr are amongst my favourite Autobots...

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY

Watching Over Me

* * *

Sari had started to become suspicious of the way Emma and Prowl were behaving, and it seemed like even Ratchet was in on whatever it was, too. But, no matter what she said or did, no amount of hedging was going to make Emma talk. On the other hand, Emma had started to become slightly annoying, switching from being very bossy in a parental-way towards Sari to completely and utterly mollycoddling her and getting her whatever she wanted.

It bewildered Sari.

One fateful day, that happened to be September the third, Sari was sitting motionless in a chair, and had been for the past hour or so. In front of her, Bulkhead painted onto a huge canvas, really getting into the mood of the painting.

Behind him, Emma and Miko were sitting side-by-side on a crate, with Emma listening to her music on her computer and Miko sketching a picture of Bulkhead painting.

"Come on, you're not finished yet?" Sari muttered, without moving her mouth. "I'm really tired now..."

"Well, I suppose we can take a break." Bulkhead agreed, and moved his kibble so that he was now standing up. "Now, remember, it's not finished yet." He added, just in case...

"Hey, Bulkster, it's really good!" Miko praised the painting, as she hopped down from the crate and went over to see the painting, along with Sari. "A perfect likeness of her!"

"You think?" Bulkhead looked pleased.

Sari stared at the painting, which looked like something by Picasso. "It's very...uh...interesting..."

"It's called _abstract_." Bulkhead told her. "Very early cubism."

"More like very early oil-spill." Bumblebee had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere.

Bulkhead glared at him.

Miko's phone suddenly rang, playing the typical ringtone. She answered it with: "_Moshi-moshi_?" She listened for a moment, and then said: "Sure, we'll be in soon, Mama Fuyano." She hung up, and looked around at everybody. "Three of the staff got sick just this morning, so they need me and Emma to come in and work." She walked over to Emma and lifted out one of the older girl's earphones. "Come on, we gotta go into work."

"What, _now_?" Emma complained.

Miko nodded. "Yes now - we'll get paid double today, because it's a Sunday." She added.

Emma looked up quickly. "_Sold_!" She cheered, and shut off her computer, which Miko noticed showed a map of Detroit and a moving blue dot. Emma hurried into her bedroom and changed into her work uniform in record time. She returned to the main room, bringing Prowl with her. He agreed to give the two girls a ride to work.

Emma glanced at Bulkhead before they left, knowing that he was about to get bot-napped.

Things were...starting to happen...

* * *

By the time Prowl returned, everybody else was crowded around Bulkhead's painting.

"Needs more colour," Bumblebee said. "Something _bold_."

"Oh, bold!" Bulkhead nodded.

"But not _so_ bold that it gives me a processor-ache!" Ratchet said, gruffly.

"Oh, _too_ bold." Bulkhead agreed.

"But, perhaps some trees? Nature can be _very_ inspiring..." Prowl supplied.

"Oh, trees, right." Bulkhead replied.

"Maybe it should have a caption?" Optimus suggested. "You know, so people can tell what it's supposed to...be..."

"A caption?" Bulkhead narrowed his optics and painted furiously with the orange paint. He then smiled. "Ah...all finished!"

The painting looked like something Miko would print on a t-shirt to wear to a death metal concert on the International Day Of Orange.

It was so quiet in the base that they could hear Duncan and Ruby barking over three blocks away.

"Augh, maybe I was wrong about the colour." Bumblebee grimaced.

"And the trees." Prowl said, quickly.

"Now I think it needs a longer caption." Optimus nodded.

Ratchet didn't say anything.

Bulkhead got up and stormed out angrily, saying something about needing a new canvas, as this one was ruined.

Giving the other Autobots a Look, Sari got up and ran after him.

* * *

Sari caught up with Bulkhead in the park, and they had a nice chat. Bulkhead still seemed unhappy, though, and Bumblebee's comment (when the little yellow speedster zoomed up behind them) didn't help.

"Hey, there's Emma and Miko." Sari noticed the two girls sitting on a park bench, eating bento. She was just about to wave the two girls over, when something made all five of them look up.

A big military helicopter suddenly fired a purple laser at them, knocking Sari back from the force but not injuring any of them.

"Megatron!" Bumblebee yelled, realising that it was, indeed, the Decepticon leader!

That was when Sari noticed something _awful_ - her Dad, bound and gagged, and held prisoner by Megatron. She gasped. "Dad?" She couldn't _believe_ it - her Dad was alive, but he was being held prisoner by the Decepticons! What should she do?!

"What's he doing here?!" Bumblebee shouted, over the noise of the helicopter's engines.

"He must've come back for Emma!" Bulkhead yelled, shielding himself from the force of another blast.

_Not quite..._ Emma thought, but she didn't say it.

As they were all running, Bulkhead grabbed Emma and Miko, and Bumblebee grabbed Sari, as Megatron transformed, with Isaac strapped to his chest-plate. He landed in front of the Autobots, wearing the same smirk he did when things were about to go his way.

Miko was stunned. "Th-that's Megatron?" She whispered, and then she grinned. "This is _awesome_!"

Sari and Emma rolled their eyes.

Bumblebee suddenly put Sari down and brought out his stingers, preparing to fire at Megatron.

"No!" Sari cried. "Don't shoot! You'll hit my Dad!"

"She's right!" Bulkhead added.

"So, what are we supposed to do?!" Bumblebee wanted to know. "Fight him with snappy comebacks?!"

Megatron suddenly fired at them again. This time, Bulkhead grabbed Sari and Miko, and Bumblebee had Emma in his hands as they dodged the attacks just in time!

Just then, Bumblebee noticed the blue-racer, the one that was clearly sentient, and now he thought that it _must_ be a Decepticon! He bundled Emma safely into his alt mode, and moved the intercept, speeding off after the blue-racer.

Megatron saw this happen, and briefly contemplated which part of his mission to continue with, before deciding that capturing Bulkhead was the number one priority at the moment. Angel would have to wait...

He fired again at the big green Autobot, and Bulkhead yelled as he was thrown back, the laser burning slightly into parts of his armor.

"_Bulkhead_!" Sari and Miko yelled, and both of them had tears in their eyes. Miko felt a strange tugging at her heart-strings, but wasn't sure why.

* * *

Bumblebee succeeded in running the blue-racer off the road, and transformed, holding Emma in one hand as he tried to contact Bulkhead.

He couldn't get through.

Emma suddenly gasped, and pointed up into the sky. "Bee, look!" She cried.

Bumblebee looked, and caught sight of Megatron flying away...with Bulkhead attached to a rope, and in stasis!

"You mean..._Bulkhead_ was his real target?!" Bumblebee closed his optics for a moment, before putting Emma on his shoulder and approaching the blue-racer, bringing out his stingers again as he did so. "Alright Zippy, start talking!"

As Emma had expected, the blue racing-car suddenly transformed, pushing Bumblebee back as Blurr took shape before them.

"First of all," Blurr spoke very fast, blurring his words together as only Blurr could. "The name's not Zippy! As a matter-of-fact, I don't believe I've ever met another bot named Zippy! Then one can only assume that you came up with Zippy in reference to my speed which may be technically accurate but _lacks_ a certain creativity!"

Bumblebee was speechless by this stage, but not Emma. She gave Blurr a bright smile and said: "Hey, Blurr."

"Hey." Blurr nodded to her. He then went on with: "More to the point, the name _is_ Blurr! I'm an Autobot Intelligence Agent sent to this planet by the Elite Guard to keep an eye on Optimus Prime and his crew, as well as monitor the Decepticon activity!" He showed Bumblebee pictures on a small scan-pad of Optimus; Bumblebee himself; and even one of Emma (it was a terrible shot of her). "And _you_ my friend have just blown a decacycle of covert surveillance designed to uncover Megatron's plot to conquer Cybertron! _Everything_ was going according to plan when I intercepted a communication between the Decepticon leader and an unknown double-agent! They were in the midst of plotting the abduction of an unsuspecting Autobot which now from the stands of the current ground situation appears to have been _successful_!" He took a deep breath, and sighed. "Got that so far?"

As Emma nodded silently, Bumblebee said: "Uh...could you repeat the last part?"

"Which last part?"

"Oh, everything after the name's not Zippy?" Bumblebee shrugged sheepishly, as Emma face-palmed.

"I'll tell you about it on the way back to the base." Emma told Bumblebee. "Right now, we need to get back to Sari and Miko - they must be having kittens by this stage."

"They must be...what?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's a figure of speech." Her hand suddenly flew to her stomach as she felt a slight nudge. _Speaking of which..._

* * *

Back at the base, the other Autobots listened to Blurr's story, expressing their surprise that Bulkhead was a Space Bridge expert. Meanwhile, Sari and Miko were both upset, but for different reasons.

Emma, on the other hand, had spaced out, and was starting to think...what was about to happen? What would happen to Blurr?

_Should I tell them I know what's about to happen, like with Blurr and "Long-Arm" and everything? but, then again, there's so much that I _don't_ know, and they would also ask me why I didn't tell them before all of this...augh..._ She rested her forehead on her hand, and used her other hand to examine her Autobot symbol and Decepticon symbol. _I can't stop thinking about the fact that...I'm not so sure that the Decepticons are _my_ enemy..._

Emma suddenly jumped, when she heard her name being said. "Huh?"

"Ratchet; Miko and I are going to the ship to try to get it back online." Sari told Emma. "We need your powers and my key." She added.

Miko pouted. "So, why am I going? I wanna go with _you_ guys," she looked over at Bumblebee. "To rescue Bulkhead..."

_Ah-ha..._ Emma realised what was happening here. "Miko, trust that these guys will rescue him, and that getting the ship back online will help _them_ help _him_."

Miko nodded. "Do we have time to get changed?"

Emma looked down at her uniform. "Probably not. It doesn't matter. Come on, let's tra-" She trailed off, and looked at Optimus.

He nodded. "Let's transform and r-"

"Wait!" Sari cried. "you guys don't really think my Dad is working for _Megatron_, do you?!"

"To be honest, Sari, I don't know _what_ to believe!" Optimus told her, gently but firmly.

"Just promise me you'll get him back here alive!" Sari cried.

Emma and Miko exchanged a glance. They both knew how much Sari must be missing her Father right now, since both of them missed their Fathers as well.

Optimus nodded. "I promise."

* * *

Miko was totally impressed with the Autobot's ship, when they arrived to try and get it back online.

"We'll give you the tour some other time." Emma told her, as they walked towards the main control room.

Walking several feet behind Sari and Ratchet, Miko whispered to Emma: "So, did you tell them yet?"

Emma shook her head. "Ratchet and Prowl know, but they're the only ones."

"They're gonna find out sooner or later." Miko raised on eyebrow.

"_Wakatta_." Emma replied, sighing. "I'm not as brave as I pretend to be."

Miko grinned, but then her smile faded as she wondered: "Do you reckon Bulkhead's gonna be okay?"

Emma nodded, straight away. "Yes, Miko, I do." She touched the Autobot pendant around her neck. "The Autobots are strong, and Bulkhead's way too valuable to...umm, well, he'll be okay..." She didn't want to use the word "die" in this situation.

They entered the control room together, to find Ratchet apologizing for slamming his fist onto the dashboard of the ship.

"There's still one thing we haven't tried...uh, but it's gonna be risky..." Ratchet turned to Emma, and she blinked.

"What's that?" Sari wanted to know.

"Open spark surgery." Ratchet replied, going over to Emma. "If we can find a way to temporarily transfer some of the All-Spark's power into the ship's spark chamber, the chain reaction should provide enough of a power-boost to trigger a jump-start."

"But," Miko tilted her head to one side. "How can you do that? Is it even possible?"

"I think...I _might_ know a way..." Emma said, thoughtfully. She closed her eyes for a moment. "If I use P.O.M..."

"If you use _what_?" Sari; Miko and Ratchet said, in unison.

Emma opened her eyes and looked at them. "P.O.M - Processor Over Matter. It's a cyber-ninja technique taught during the early stages of training, but it takes _years_ to master...some never do..." She shook her head. "I think I could..."

"But, can a _human_ use it?" Sari wanted to know.

"Yeah, how do _you_ know a cyber-ninja term?" Miko asked, suspiciously. "Did Prowl tell you, or...?"

Emma clasped her hands, and took a deep breath. "Sari, everybody, there's...something I should tell you...I..." She felt a sudden sharp nudge from inside her stomach, and broke off her sentence. Now wasn't the time for confessions of past lives! "I'll have to tell you later!" She said, quickly. "Right now, we need to try and get the ship back online!"

Ratchet agreed with her, and all four of them hurried to the spark-chamber...

* * *

Meanwhile, the Autobots and Decepticons were engaged in a battle, at the foot of the Space-Bridge that had been constructed to get Megatron to Cybertron where he would attack from within. Then, Starscream and his clones showed up, determined to put an end to _all_ of Starscream's enemies at once!

"Starscream-Clones, sound out!" Starscream ordered.

"Dirge!" The black and gold clone announced.

"The great Thundercracker!" The blue and purple clone boasted.

"Sunstorm!" The white and gold clone added.

"Thrust!" The black and maroon clone stated.

"S-Skywarp!" The black and purple clone was terrified.

"I'm not Ramjet!" The white and maroon clone protested.

"Yes, you _are_!" About three clones, plus Starscream, replied.

Starscream wouldn't let this get in his way - he had been planning for this day for stellar cycles! He glanced over at Slipstream, wondering why she hadn't stated her name.

Slipstream had gone stock-still, and her red optics were trained on something on the ground...Starscream looked, to see that she was staring at...Megatron? Starscream couldn't fathom why and, to him, it mattered not.

Starscream shouted: "My loyal clones, _attack_!"

They did so and, as the battle ensued, the Autobots managed to escape from their confines, and made their way towards the Space-Bridge.

As the battle raged on, Blurr managed to become stuck to Skywarp and Thundercracker due to Mixmaster's concrete-solution, and Blurr was yelping: "Get it off!" A number of times before they were sucked into the Space-Bridge.

Bumblebee couldn't believe it, and yelled to Bulkhead to bring Blurr back - he was one of them, after all!

Bulkhead said that he was trying, but the reset coordinates could have Transwarped them _anywhere_ into the galaxy!

Just then, Thrust landed next to Bulkhead, and kicked him out of the way, smirking. Bumblebee, however, threw Bulkhead the stasis-cuffs, and Thrust found himself cuffed and out of the battle...for now, anyways...

Bulkhead suddenly found himself in stasis-cuffs, cuffed by none other than Slipstream!

"This _is_ fun!" She exclaimed.

"It's you!" Bulkhead cried, before the stasis-cuffs took effect.

Slipstream smirked. "It's me." She said, simply...

Meanwhile, Starscream was battling Megatron.

"Give up this foolish battle, Starscream!" Megatron threatened.

"_Never_!" Starscream shouted. "I'll _never_ forgive you, for ruining Angel's life!"

Megatron froze for a second, giving Ramjet the opportunity to aim for him, but Optimus came flying out of nowhere and crashed into them. he also stated that he wasn't coming to Megatron's rescue. A few minutes later, Megatron returned the favor by using Optimus as an Autobot shield.

When Prowl went to help him, he suddenly found himself cuffed by Sunstorm, because he'd been freed from the cuffs Prowl had placed in him earlier, by ramjet.

There seemed to be an awful lot of stasis-cuffing going on around here...

Megatron was eventually overcome by Starscream; Ramjet and Sunstorm, and the latter two grabbed him and held him by his arms, as Starscream picked up Megatron's sword. The All-Spark Fragment gleamed in his forehead, and so did his bright red optics and the razor-sharp sword in his hand...

"Ohhhh, I've been waiting a _long_ time for this..." Starscream smirked. "Finally, I'll have my revenge for what happened back then, for how _your_ mistake cost Angel her entire planet!"

Megatron glared at him. "You think I haven't berated myself _every single solar cycle_ for what happened, Starscream?! You think destroying me will ease your own pain, as well as Angel's?!" He looked over at the Autobots. "It is as much _their_ fault as it is mine!"

"Stand up and take the blame like a _real_ con, Megatron!" Starscream shouted. "Angel would have had _everything_! She would have been _happy_, but because _you_ went and trusted the _one_ being in the universe that could take that from her, she had to suffer! We _all_ suffered, for your foolishness! Countless lives torn apart, and two of our own that lost their _spark-partners_!" He raised the sword. "It's too bad that _you_ never found _yours_, before I destroy it with your own sword, and make _me_ the supreme leader, of all Decepticons!" He was suddenly hit from the side by somebody, with such force that the sword was wrenched from his hand and, the next thing he knew, his head was detached from his body. Being a Transformer, he did not die, but he was still confused as to what had happened, until he looked up and caught sight of...

"Slipstream?!" Starscream shouted.

Slipstream held Megatron's sword in one hand, and leaned on it as she looked down at her former leader. "Or, maybe he _has_ found his spark-partner, foolish Starscream." She smirked. "Besides, _any_ leader _has_ to be an improvement over _you_!" She stated, straightening up and looking towards Megatron.

As Sunstorm and Ramjet obediently let Megatron go, the Decepticon leader took a good look at Starscream's femme-clone. She _looked_ an awful lot like her creator, although he supposed that wasn't really her fault in the slightest. She was, however, much curvier than Starscream, since she was a femme, and there was a gleam in her red optics that he immediately liked. He could use a loyal soldier - and, maybe something _more_ - like her...

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the ship on Dino-Bot Island, Sari and Miko watched in silence as Ratchet directed Emma into the ship's spark-chamber.

"I'll have to shut you in here," the doctor told her. "You'll be alright, though, just do what you have to do, okay?"

Emma nodded, trying to fight back her panic. _What if I mess this up?_ She thought, anxiously, as the door slid shut behind her and she was enveloped in darkness.

Outside, the others waited.

"Will she be able to do it?" Miko whispered.

Sari shrugged. "We don't really have a lot of other options now, do we?"

"Ssh!" Ratchet hissed, suddenly.

They were all quiet, as they could hear a strange humming sound coming from within the spark-chamber...

* * *

Inside, Emma sat cross-legged, her eyes closed and her mind focusing on trying to connect with the All-Spark within her. It wasn't going so well - she couldn't get her mind to focus, and she also couldn't get _The Song That Never Ends_ out of her head.

She began to hum, the way she'd heard Prowl do it, and tried remembering advice she would have heard when she was Angel...

_Focus, my young Angel..._ a deep and gentle voice said in her mind. _you _can_ do this..._

At once, in the darkness of her mind, a silvery-figure began to take shape - it was the same figure that Prowl had shown her before..._Angel_...

Angel appeared to be composed of over a million tiny specks of light, making her seem like those three-dimensional cubes that people draw. Emma could, however, see quite clearly, the brilliant blue spark beating rapidly within her chest-plate. Angel smiled calmly, extending her hands and creating a cup with them. At once, the energy from _her_ spark began to trickle out into her hands, not all of it but some of it. It didn't detract from the _original_ spark but, instead, created a smaller copy of it. Once the sphere in her hands was glowing, it shot straight upwards, and Emma saw, when she looked up, the white outline of a much _larger_ robot...

_I am...Omega...Supreme...?_ The voice sounded unsure.

Emma opened her eyes, and stood up, looking behind her at the now beating spark behind her. it was blue and aqua, and shimmering. It burned with a hot radiance that was not uncomfortable to her. She nodded. "Yes...yes, that is your name...Omega Supreme..." The door to the spark-chamber opened, and she exited, feeling weak all of a sudden. A sharp nudge in her stomach made her realise why...

Ratchet took one look at her a few minutes later, before ordering her and Miko to stay behind on the island.

"What?!" Miko complained. She crossed her arms. "No way! I want in on this!"

Ratchet gave her a meaningful look. "Emma's feeling weak after giving that energy to help us out - I need you to stay here and keep an eye on her until we come back."

Miko glanced at the pale Emma, and then her shoulders sagged. "Okay...just hurry up and save Bulkhead, okay?"

"And the rest of Detroit?" Sari asked, as her key glowed in the power-drive of the ship.

"No, that can wait. Bulkhead comes first."

* * *

As Megatron was telling the now trapped Autobots (and Starscream's head) of his plan, and Prowl was secretly trying to focus and use Processor-Over-Matter to free himself from his stasis-cuffs, Starscream tried reasoning with Blitzwing.

"Blitzwing, why are you still loyal to Megatron?!" The former second-in-command wanted to know. The Triple-Changer turned to him. "Have you forgotten what happened to Auda-!" He was suddenly cut off by a mouthful of the cement shot at him from Mixmaster.

Blitzwing said: "Oh, I have not forgotten, Starscream. That is why I am going to go to Cybertron and make them pay for what _they_ did. _They_ are the ones that I blame." He said, calmly. "Of course, I did not have to see them day in and day out, off of the battle field, that is..."

"Unlike the Decepticon double-agent, Wasp?" Bumblebee stated.

"Unlike me, you mean?" A voice said from a nearby screen, and Shockwave's face appeared on it.

"Who're you?" Bumblebee wanted to know.

"Surely you remember your old pal, Long-Arm?" Shockwave assumed his Long-Arm form, causing ice to run straight through Bumblebee's circuitry, as he realised his massive mistake all those years ago! Wasp wasn't the double-agent - Long-Arm was!

"This means..." Bumblebee trailed off, his throat clenching up.

"You sent an innocent bot to the stockade." Bulkhead finished for him, his voice husky with the graveness of the situation.

Long-Arm/Shockwave nodded. "It was difficult for me to _pretend_ to be working for those that took the most important thing I had, but I knew that it was all in the name of exacting justice on you Autobots." He looked at Megatron. "I am here at the Space-Bridge-Nexus, ready to send the receiving code to Transwarp you to Cybertron, my liege."

None of them expected to get attacked, however, and by none other than Omega Supreme!

* * *

Back on Dino-Bot Island, Miko and Emma sat on the mountain, waiting for the Autobots to come back and get them.

"I'll bet there's a _huge_ battle going on!" Miko said, sketching furiously in her sketchbook as she spoke. "With _lasers_ and guns-blazing and swords and _blood_!" She suddenly turned, as Emma gave a sharp gasp. "What? I don't mean any of _our_ guys' blood...hey, what's wrong?" Miko's expression changed, as she caught sight of Emma hunched over, and breathing heavily. "Emma?" miko crawled over to her.

Emma looked up, her golden eyes scared and full of uncertainty. "Miko...the...the baby's coming..."

Miko gasped. "What? _Now_? Can't you hold it in or something?!"

"Miko!"

Miko shook her head. "No? Okay then, right...uh...ooh, I know!" she grabbed her mobile phone out of her pocket and, with trembling fingers, dialed a number. "Hey, Victoria? You won't _believe_ this, but..."

* * *

The happenings back at the mines were both good and bad. The bad news was that Omega Supreme sacrificed himself, but the good news was that he was only transported through the Space-bridge to...Primus knows where. Megatron and Starscream's head were too. The Autobots; Sari and Isaac made it out of the mines _just_ before they collapsed.

Sari was _so_ happy to be reunited with her Dad, that she held onto his right hand with her left hand, even though her left elbow had been injured. She glanced casually down at it, and then did a double-take, hardly able to believe her eyes as she gasped loudly.

Everybody else, except for her Dad, gasped too, as Sari let go of her Dad's hand and held up her arm.

Black and electric-blue circuitry crackled around the wound on her elbow, and they all saw the plating of a robot underneath of it all.

It was the scariest thing that Sari had _ever_ seen in her life, and she backed away from her Dad, gasping, as Bumblebee knelt down to place a hand on her back.

"Sari," Isaac said quietly. "We need to talk."

_That_ was an understatement.

As Sari and her Dad continued to stare at each other, Prowl turned to Ratchet and asked: "Where's Emma?" There was a strange sensation in his spark right then.

Bulkhead added: "Hey, yeah, what happened to Miko?"

"I left them back on Dino-Bot Island," Ratchet replied quietly, just as he received a transmission. "Hello? Miko...?"

They all clearly heard Miko's voice on the other end of the line, sounding _way_ too much like Blurr, but they all got the gist of it. "_I had to call Victoria and she and her boyfriend that happens to be a robot like you guys came here and Carly and Fuchsia and Flora and Mama Fuyano came here too BECAUSE THE BABY'S COMING_!" She was screaming, and somebody else was screaming in the background, as well.

Prowl gasped. "Emma!" He cried and, without a moment's hesitation, he transformed, and headed off for Dino-Bot Island as the others aside from Ratchet all gaped at him.

"Miko, keep her calm, I'll be there soon!" Ratchet ordered, and followed in Prowl's wake.

Sari suddenly stamped her foot, angry and frightened tears welling up in her eyes as she yelled: "My Nanny's having a baby, that silver car we saw _was_ one of you guys, and now I might be as well?! Why the Hell do you all keep these secrets from me?!"

* * *

Emma, meanwhile, was now clutching Carly's hand, and screaming, which was deja vu for the both of them. Only, in this case, the birth was a little more..._unique_.

The pain Emma was experiencing was similar to Carly's, but there were a few slight differences. For one, none of them knew how to approach this - was it a regular birth, or would it happen in a completely different way? The lack of weight that she'd put on, coupled with the fact that they hadn't been able to ultrasound the child, was enough to put them all on edge, except for Sai. He nodded to Victoria, before stepping forwards in his holoform and placing a glowing blue hand to Emma's forehead.

Emma immediately fell unconscious...

Victoria then came over to them, and took out a medical bag. "I-I'm not sure I can do this..." She said, suddenly, just as Ratchet and Prowl showed up.

Prowl was immediately in his holoform and on Emma's other side. Ratchet also assumed his holoform, and approached Victoria. He cast a wary glance at Sai, before saying to Victoria: "I've helped deliver sparklings before...all of them need to be cut out, in the way you humans call a cesarian."

Prowl seemed pale. "Will it be the same for her as it is for us?" He asked, grimly. One hand was firmly clasped around Emma's, and the other was clenched by his side. Those that looked saw the pinkish-red energon seep out, from where his nails were digging into his skin.

Victoria nodded. "Can you help me?" She asked Ratchet.

Ratchet nodded. "That's my job." He said, before glancing at Sai. "Did you induce her into stasis enough for an entire procedure?"

It was Sai's turn to nod. His blue eyes were calm, but there was a glint in them that Ratchet recognized...

_It's him...it's _gotta_ be him..._ Ratchet thought, feeling slightly numb and then his medical senses kicked in - it was time to get to work...

Victoria opened up the medical bag, and took out a scalpel, which she handed to Ratchet, before saying to Miko and Flora: "Don't watch." It was a warning...

Flora turned away, but Miko continued to watch as Ratchet made a quick, clean and very deep cut into Emma's stomach.

"_Cool_..." Miko breathed, as the blood seeped out.

"I said don't watch!"

Fuchsia put her hands on the backs of Miko and Flora, and led them away, saying: "Come on, this is _not_ something you two need to see right now..." Carly decided to go with them.

Prowl, meanwhile, had one hand now on Emma's forehead, and was looking at her sleeping face. "Stay with it, Emma," he whispered, so that nobody else could hear. "I don't know how this happened, but you've _got_ to stay with us..."

Suddenly, and without warning, there was a roar from somewhere nearby and, quite suddenly, Grimlock leapt at them from within the trees, roaring: "Me Grimlock _destroy_ intruders!"

Prowl gasped. "Grimlock-!" He began but, just then, Sai moved.

His body changed, and grew, and suddenly, a big silver robot was standing there, wrestling with Grimlock before he kicked out when wheeled-foot, and pushed Grimlock back. He then took out a shurikan, and threw it. He pointed in the direction that it had gone and Grimlock, his tail wagging, chased after it.

Prowl was speechless, as Sai turned back around, his blue optics calm. "You-you're the legendary warrior, Sideswipe...you've been here...all this time?"

Sai nodded.

Prowl was scarcely able to believe that _this_ was Sideswipe. He and his twin brother had been _infamous_ back on Cybertron, causing all sorts of mayhem for everybody but also inventing a new and useful technique, called _Jet Judo_.

"But...why have you never returned to Cybertron, or at least let _us_ know that you were here?" Ratchet wanted to know, only half paying attention to the conversation - he was busy with maneuvering through delicate human organs.

"Because you betrayed him." Victoria said flatly, helping Ratchet with whatever he was doing (just what, Prowl didn't like to think). "You Autobots abandoned him on the battlefield. Because of you, Sunstreaker went offline."

Prowl didn't say anything, but somebody _else_ did.

"Well," Blackarachnia stepped out of the trees, followed by an obedient-looking Grimlock. "Then I guess that's something we have in common."

"Blackarachnia." Prowl said, glaring at her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to attack you." The spider-bot shook her head. "I simply came by because a little birdie told me that my old friend was having a baby." Swoop landed on a nearby rock, and Snarl peeked out from the trees.

"What do you mean, 'your old friend'?" Prowl asked her.

Blackarachnia sighed. "You Autobots really have no idea, do you? How can it be that we _Decepticons_ figured it out, and you don't know what's been right there in front of you this whole entire time!"

"If you mean that Emma is really the Transformer known as Angel, then we _did_ in fact know, or at least Sai and I knew." Victoria said, quite clearly.

Prowl stared at her. "Y-you knew?"

Victoria's grey eyes were trained on Emma's stomach. "Mmhmm. Did you?"

"After awhile...I just don't know _how_..." Prowl's spark began to beat a little bit faster. "There's only _one_ thing that I'm _completely_ sure of..." _I just hope that this all turns out okay..._

* * *

_Angel sat beside her Master Yoketron, as Jazz introduced to her to a member of the Cyber-Ninja Academy._

_"He's definitely swinging with the strength and speed, Ange." Jazz said confidently. Even back then he talked like that. "But, he's a bit more chill than you are, sweet-spark, you get what I'm saying?"_

_"Are you calling me a hot-head?!" Angel snapped, glaring at Jazz._

_Master Yoketron held up a hand, and they all fell silent. The cyber-ninja master gazed thoughtfully at at the silent, white-faced cyber-ninja. He _did_ seem to be quite calm, easily taking it in stride what was about to be asked of him. But, could they trust him?_

_Master Yoketron spoke: "What is your designation, young one?"_

_The bot spoke. "They call me...Lockdown..."_

_"And, what about you is it that is the reason why we should entrust this _very_ important assignment to you?" Master Yoketron said, calmly..._

_Lockdown spoke carefully, not a hint of insincerity in his voice when he said: "Because I've got knowledge not a lot of other bots do - I know about the Vampires."_

_Angel sucked in a sharp intake of breath, causing Jazz to look at her, but Master Yoketron continued to watch Lockdown. "Such as?" The wise old bot wanted to know._

_"I know how they're created and I know how to defeat them." Lockdown stated. "I can tell you _all_ about their natures, and how best to avoid them."_

_"How did you obtain such information?" Master Yoketron asked him._

_"When you've wandered the galaxy for as long as I have, you tend to pick up on a fair few things." Lockdown replied. "I know what those Vampires are after, as well - the All-Spark would bring their leader back online."_

_Angel looked up at Master Yoketron. "Is...that true?" She wanted to know. The very thought terrified her, but she refused to let it show._

_Master Yoketron sensed her fear, however, and so did Jazz._

_"S'all cool, sweet-spark." Jazz reassured her. "I've been training with Lockdown for a few stellar cycles - he's one of the best. We won't let you go down out there on the battlefield, okay?"_

_Angel nodded, still seeming uncertain. "Okay..." She looked at Lockdown. "If...you think you can handle being my bodyguard, then I'm not going to stop you. It's your choice, though." _There are bots out there on the field that _need_ me to save them, and I can't let everybody down, again...

_"I've already made my choice, kid."_

_"Whatever."_

_Master Yoketron ignored this last part, and simply nodded. "Very well, then. We will give you a trial-run, Lockdown." He addressed them all, then. "I have received news from Ultra Magnus that you are needed on the planet known as Velocitron. That will be your first port of call. You three will depart for the Space-Bridge-Nexus immediately."_

_The three cyber-ninjas nodded._

* * *

_"Is it just me?" Lockdown was speaking to Jazz, as they walked towards the Space-Bridge-Nexus. One was already fired up for them. Angel was walking several paces in front of them, but they didn't know that she could hear them. "Or, does she not seem too _thrilled_ to have me tagging along with you guys?"_

_Jazz was about to answer, but Angel beat him to it. She came storming back up to them, and glared at Lockdown, even though she was quite a bit shorter than him._

_"You wanna know what my problem is?!" She said, angrily. "It's bots like _you_ thinking that you can do this job! I don't care if you _do_ have knowledge on the Vampires, or if you think you're a good cyber-ninja!"_

_Lockdown was surprised - Angel had seemed so calm before, but now she was practically on fire. He guessed that the rumours about the small femme were true._

_"Ange," Jazz said, calmly. "Take it easy..."_

_"I'll be upset if I want!" Angel retorted, turning on her heel and running towards the Space-Bridge. She leapt up, beating her wings, and flew straight into the Transwarp field._

_Lockdown stared after her._

_Jazz said: "She's not had it easy, Lockdown - give her time. She'll warm up to you, eventually..." _If you survive that long_..._

* * *

_"Look at this place..." Angel looked around them, at the dry and barren landscape that had once been the top racing spot in the galaxy. "I can't believe the Decepticons _did_ this..." _This doesn't _feel_ right...

_"S'a grim sight, alright," Jazz said, scanning the area as he did so, as did Lockdown. "Looks like the 'Cons have all split, though."_

_"No sign of any Vampires, either." Lockdown stated._

_"Good." Angel said, flatly, not looking at either of them. "That makes all our jobs that much easier..." They set off in search of survivors, and soon came across one group of them._

_"Who are you?!" One said, holding up a gun which he had obviously stolen from a Decepticon, due to its colouration._

_Jazz held up his hands. "We come in peace, bro. We're Autobots," he added, showing the mark on his scan-pad. "And, we represent the Cyber-Ninja Corps."_

_The citizen relaxed. "Oh, thank Primus...you've arrived just in time..." He glanced worriedly over his shoulder, at a small building. "One of your soldiers that has been assisting us for some time was badly wounded...her ship was destroyed..."_

_Angel's yellow optics flashed. "Take me to her, please." She commanded, and the citizen complied._

_Jazz and Lockdown followed._

_Inside the building, they found a group of citizens and some injured Autobot soldiers, as well as one critically injured white and pink femme. She was struggling to keep her bright blue optics online, and her colours were fading even as they all watched on, helplessly._

_"What's your name, soldier?" Angel asked, kneeling down beside her._

_The femme struggled to look at her. "O-Override...P-Prime..."_

_Angel nodded. "What happened to your ship, Override?" She was not one for formalities - whether they be Prime or Magnus or something else, she was infamous for never using anybot's title, unless they happened to be Master Yoketron._

_"B-Blown up..." Override said, weakly, as Angel quickly assessed the damage to her. "B-by...a Decepticon with a...s-strange voice and...three...faces..."_

_Angel looked up quickly, her yellow optics flashing. She stayed still for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, hold still...I can help you..." She held her hands out over override's chest-plate, and began humming, a soothing and calm sound that helped her concentrate. A blue light began to glow from her servos, as she closed her eyes in concentration._

_Everybody around watched in amazement as Override's injuries began to heal, and the colour began to return to her body._

_"Th-that's _incredible_..." A nearby mech whispered._

_"What _is_ she?" Somebody else asked._

_"It's a _miracle_..." Another bot exclaimed, as the glow spread, healing everybody else's injuries, as well. "The miracle of the All-Spark!"_

_Jazz and Lockdown watched as Angel finished her healing process. She placed a hand on Override's forehead, smiling reassuringly, and then stood up, and walked back over to them._

_"Let's go." She said, quietly, looking down. "We need to get to the Space-Bridge and go to our next destination." She walked out of the building without another word._

_Jazz and Lockdown exchanged a glance, Lockdown's optics asking the obvious question. Jazz just shook his head..._

* * *

_They travelled from planet to planet, with Angel using her healing powers to help the injured, and Jazz and Lockdown defending her (and multiple others) from the few Decepticons that they'd come across. As they travelled, Angel seemed to get more and more depressed, with each planet that they came across looking worse than the last._

_Finally, upon reaching a planet that was (now) unaptly named Paradise, and seeing the devastation that the Decepticons had caused to the once beautiful organic planet, Angel stopped talking entirely, leaving Jazz and Lockdown to start getting concerned. The Space-Bridge on this planet needed to be repaired, so they were stuck here for awhile, forced to finally be given advice from the intelligent natives, including one girl named Papika, whose furry pink garments made it look like she'd killed and skinned a Muppet. However, nobody seemed to know what was wrong with Angel, except for Jazz, and he finally decided to tell Lockdown about it._

_The two of them sat by a small pool of water, unawares that Angel was perched on a tree, almost directly above their heads, and of course she was listening to them._

_"So, you wanna know the deal with Ange, yeah?" Jazz started off._

_Lockdown nodded. "She's a complexing femme to try and figure out..."_

_"She's also a hot-head." Jazz pointed out, and Angel scowled._

_Lockdown chuckled, softly. "Yeah, that she us, but I get the feeling that there's a lot more to her than meets the optic...what's her story?"_

_"She's been through the Pits," Jazz shook his head. "More than any femme should _ever_ go through, or any _mech_, for that matter. If you're gonna roll with us, then I feel like I gotta hip you to the story so far, give you a sit-rep, dig?"_

No, don't tell him, Jazz!_ Angel thought desperately, but not wanting to reveal her presence just yet, she dug her fingers into the tree branch that she was sitting on, and just listened..._

_"See, Ange has been by Master Yoketron's side for stellar cycles, since he's been with her since day one," Jazz explained, and Lockdown nodded. He had suspected that master and pupil were close, a bond that was similar to the one a mech-creator would have with his creation. "I always got the feeling that Master Y's the only bot on Cybertron that Ange trusts. Things went so far off the deep end for her, that it's broken her trust in almost everybody."_

_Lockdown said: "Why? What happened to make her distrust her own kind?"_

_Jazz shook his head. "See, the thing _is_, Ange _isn't_ a Cybertronian..."_

_Lockdown's optics widened, slightly. "You mean, she's a...?"_

_Jazz interrupted him. "Look, all I know for sure is that, at the end of the solar cycle, she's gonna be the one to protect those that _can't_ protect themselves and, when things go down, I know she's got my back." He smiled. "I don't care if she's 'Con or 'Bot, or if she's able to put me on my back every time we work out in the dojo...I just wanna stick with her, and I'm guessing you do, too. If you wanna be solid with her, you gotta earn her trust, and that ain't easy."_

_"So, she doesn't trust me, is that it?" Lockdown asked. He was starting to get the feeling that there was something going on between Jazz and Angel, or at least that Jazz _wanted_ there to be something go on between the two of them, and that amused Lockdown._

_"Well, there's one more thing," Jazz said, sounding slightly hesitant. "Ange may not trust you completely, but she doesn't want you to end up getting slagged, or worse. The last bodyguards she had were a pair of hip twins that she really liked...I probably don't need to tell you what ended up happening to them."_

_Lockdown shook his head. "So, _that's_ why she's been acting this way..."_

_"Ange may not know how to show it but, deep down, the little lady really cares. She'd give up her own spark before she lets another comrade go offline, dig?"_

_Angel had to smile, hearing these words from Jazz. Deep down, she really _did_ care...she'd just seen far too much destruction to want to let it happen again, especially to those that she was close to...even if they _were_ Autobots but, it seemed, the Decepticons were just as bad as she'd thought the Autobots were, but the Autobots had done terrible things, too..._

_It was all so confusing..._

_"I gotta say thanks for filling me in on the details of our little charge here, Jazz," Lockdown said to him. "I feel like I can handle her a bit better, now that I know...I won't tell if you don't, of course..."_

_Jazz smiled. "Good, 'cause I dunno _what_ she'd do to me if she found out I'd laid the sitch on you, Lockdown."_

_Lockdown grinned._

_Just then, the tree-branch that Angel was sitting on broke, and she fell to the ground, landing directly on top of Jazz._

_Lockdown was stunned, for a second, before saying: "Uh, how long have you been listening?"_

_"Long enough," she looked at him. "What? I'm a cyber-ninja - it's my job." She then looked down at Jazz. "I _think_ I'll let this one slide." She said, and got off of him._

_He looked relieved, and returned to his sitting position._

_The three of them sat there in silence for a moment, before Angel spoke up. "Say, Lockdown..." She didn't look at him, Lockdown noticed that she seemed to have trouble looking at anybody but Jazz and Master Yoketron. "Tell me something...about Vampires..."_

_Jazz glanced at her quickly._

_"What do you wanna know, kid?" Lockdown asked her, calmly._

_"Everything!" She said, suddenly looking at him. "I want to - _need_ to - know anything and everything that you can tell me about them so, please, tell me what you know about them." Her gaze was intense, as she said: "The Vampires destroyed everything and everyone that I loved, with the exception of Master Yoketron." Her optics were bright, but determined. "Tell me...please..."_

_Lockdown remembered what Jazz had said about gaining Angel's trust. She was asking him for information, and she trusted him to tell her the truth. Well, he would not disappoint._

_Lockdown took a deep breath. "Well, for starters, the creation of Vampires. There are three ways that those energon-suckers are created. The first, is the normal way." He meant by a femme and mech interfacing, but he wasn't going to say it. Angel would probably use those razor-sharp wings of hers to claw his optics out. "They're called Created Vampires, and are the strongest, but they're also the rarest. I'm sure I don't need to tell you why." Angel and Jazz nodded. "The second are called Venom Vampires, and these ones are created by an _existing_ Vampire biting into somebot, and injecting them with the Venom."_

_"That's off the deep end..." Jazz murmured. "Is there an antivenom?"_

_Lockdown shook his head. "Not in this known galaxy. The only hope a victim's got is digging out the Venom before it spreads too far, but even then you're converted to a half-breed."_

_Angel traced a symbol in the dirt, and stayed silent._

_"What's the third kind?" Jazz wanted to know._

_"Ah, now that's the most _interesting_ kind." Lockdown stated. "It's called a New Vampire, because it's the newest breed that there is. It seems Cybertronians and Vampires are somewhat related because, when a Cybertronian is taken offline, a new Vampire is born."_

_Angel's head snapped up. "What?!" She gasped. "But, then, we are fighting a war here, so..." She trailed off. Both Jazz and Lockdown nodded. Angel put her head in her servos. "This is bad...this is _really_, _really_ bad..."_

_Jazz put a servo on her shoulder, and then looked over at Lockdown. "What are these energon-suckers like?"_

_"Monsters." Angel and Lockdown said, in unison. Angel went on: "They're insanely powerful beyond belief, and don't have much regard for life - all they care about is satisfying their thirst."_

_Lockdown nodded. "They're shady individuals, I'll give them that. Creatures of the night - sunlight, or a direct and intense light, burn them. When one's about to attack you, it will circle you like a Sharkticon - moving head and shoulders as it circles you. It's attack will be swift and sudden and, when it is, it will usually go straight for the throat..."_

_Angel shuddered, and touched a digit to her throat. She leaned against Jazz's shoulder, and muttered: "The Vampire _I_ saw was...the Lord...of the Vampires..."_

_Lockdown looked at her quickly. "Wait a nanoclick, you mean you saw _him_! The Vampire Lord, Fhantom?!"_

_Angel nodded. "Mmhmm...Teramina was never the same after he managed to get through our outer planetary defense systems..." She closed her optics, remembering that day. She then opened her optics again, and looked over at the water. "What's that?"_

_Both Jazz and Lockdown looked, as a pointy black shape moved across the surface of the water and, suddenly, a black shape jumped out at them!_

_The three cyber-ninjas leapt away, as the thing growled savagely, and glared at them with glowing red optics._

_"Speak of the Devils..." Lockdown growled, landing a few feet away, as Jazz and Angel landed on the other side of the creature._

_"_That's_ a Vampire?" Jazz looked at the creature - it looked like a furry black robot shark-bat with legs. Its red optics were suddenly trained on him, and it began to move its head from side-to-side, and it began to circle him and Angel._

_"Uh-oh..." Jazz muttered. "Okay, let's make the scene - and, quick!"_

* * *

_Angel stood with her back to a tree, not sure how much time had passed since the battle had begun. She tried to get through to Cybertron Command. "Cybertron Command, come in, please, dear Primus, _answer_ me!" _Not again..._ Angel thought, angrily. This was not the first time this had happened to her. Damn Autobots and their not-answering!_

_Angel returned to the battle, just as Jazz got badly beaten, and Angel gasped. "Jazz, no!" She was about to move to help him, when Lockdown grabbed her arm and dragged her through the trees. "We have to help Jazz!" Angel protested._

_"He'll be fine, the Vampire's after you, kid." Lockdown replied, grimly. "As long as Jazz stays down, the Vampire won't go for him - it's like what Papika said about those bear things!"_

_"I don't understand how Jazz got beaten so badly, though!" Angel told him, as they leapt through the trees._

_"Weren't you paying attention, kid?" Lockdown asked her. As they landed in a clearing. "That Vampire has a special power - that means it's tasted the energon of another Vampire!"_

_Angel felt sickened. "What's its power?" She suddenly felt something strange, and looked down to see that her shadow was connected to the Vampire's, and she couldn't move! "Ohhhh..." She realised. Then: "Now what?!" She looked at Lockdown. "Oh Primus, why did _you_ have to get caught, too?!"_

_The Vampire began to circle them, bobbing it's head up and down as it did so, and moving its shoulders from side-to-side. It leapt at her, and its claws grazed her side, drawing energon, which it licked clean, and the energon stained its mouth. It turned, and glanced at Lockdown, before circling again, before lunging at Lockdown and sinking its fangs into his neck!_

_Angel screamed, as did Lockdown, as the Venom burned into him._

_Angel understood why Lockdown had just been targeted - the Vampire was going to get rid of him first, so that it could enjoy drinking her energon more!_

_As the Vampire let go of Lockdown, the shadows-connection was broken, and Angel jumped away, as the Vampire turned its head towards her, and its red optics glowed._

_Angel was suddenly frozen in her place, from the Vampire's power. Her spark beat wildly, and the Vampire licked its lips, lusting to savour the energon of the All-Spark._

_Suddenly, a voice from behind the Vampire said: "Next lesson, kid - how to kill a Vampire." Lockdown's chainsaw-like mod suddenly went straight through the Vampire's head, spluttering them all with black-energon as the Vampire was destroyed. "They don't have sparks, so you have to go for head - before they go for your throat..."_

_Angel stared at Lockdown, and he stared at her. His movements were jagged, and he clutched at his throat with his other servo._

_"L-Lockdown..." Angel rushed to him, and supported him as he staggered. "Lockdown, you got bitten! No!" Her optics filled with tears. "I'm so sorry..."_

_"It's not your fault, kid..." Lockdown said, and then winced when pain coursed through his entire body. The Venom was already starting to attack him and, considering how aggressive Vampire Venom _was_, Lockdown shouldn't have been surprised..._

_"What can I do?" Angel whispered, wishing that Jazz was here. "Should I...?"_

_"There's no time!" Lockdown had guessed her train of thoughts. "You have to do it now! Take the dagger in the compartment in my left servo..." Angel reached over, and drew the dagger from the secret compartment. "Do _exactly_ as I tell you - you have to cut the Venom out..."_

_"No!" Angel cried. "No, I can't! Lockdown..."_

_"You don't have a choice!" Lockdown's scarlet optics burned. "It's either that, or I kill you all...or, you kill me..."_

_"I won't do that!" Angel said, strongly. "Maybe...maybe I can use my powers to neutralize the Venom...?"_

_"It will only be temporary..." Lockdown warned her, as she closed her optics. At once, a warm glow spread throughout his body. It wasn't enough to rid him of the burning from the Venom, but it helped. It felt..._good_. So, _this_ was the power of the All-Spark..._

_Angel opened her optics, and looked at him. "Now what?"_

_"I'm going to tell you _exactly_ where to cut, okay?" Lockdown looked up at her. "Also, Angel...you need to do something _else_ for me?"_

_"What?" She whispered._

_"Abandon me." Lockdown told her, and watched optics widen._

_"What?! No, no I'm not-!"_

_"I can't go back to Cybertron now!" Lockdown informed her. "They'll put me under the knife, and that'll be it...I'll be nothing but a science experiment, kid..."_

_"So...what will you do?" Angel wanted to know. She couldn't fathom this - why did this _always_ have to happen to her?!_

_"Become a bounty-hunter, go my own way." Lockdown smiled, and then grimaced, as the Venom tried to bypass the All-Spark's healing. "Angel, do it, now!"_

_"I will, but you're coming back to Cybertron with me!" Angel declared, holding up the dagger._

No, I'm not_... Lockdown thought and, then, he realised what he would have to do...it would make him a traitor, however...Lockdown sighed, and then winced. Well, no pain, no gain, right?_

* * *

_Angel was in an induced stasis, after being attacked by the traitor, Lockdown. She could still hear, though._

_"I don't understand how this could have happened." Master Yoketron sounded weary._

_"I'm sorry, Master Yoketron," Jazz was depressed, as well. "This never would've happened if I hadn't suggested..." He trailed off._

_"No, Jazz, it is not your fault." Master Yoketron sighed. "Please, do not blame yourself...I know how worried you are about her...had it not been for you, Lockdown may have taken her offline, and I cannot bear to lose her now." There was a sad tone in Master Yoketron's voice._

_Jazz didn't say anything but, just then, the door to the med-bay opened, and a beautiful blue and golden femme rushed in. "Is she okay?!" She cried. "I've been so worried..."_

_A red and orange femme followed her. "We both were." She said, in a southern-accent. "Warpath told me that Angel was in here...what happened? When I find out the slagger that _did_ this..."_

_"We know the one responsible," Master Yoketron said, quietly. "It will be handled..."_

_"Can she hear us?" The blue and gold femme - Elita-1 - asked. Both her and Flare-Up suddenly knew what the answer must be._

_"Poor Angel..." They said, in unison. Elita-1 placed her servo over Angel's._

_"Hold on, Angel...we still need you..." The young cadet whispered. "Hold on, Angel..."_

* * *

As Emma came back into consciousness, the first thing she was aware of was of a different voice speaking to her. This one was masculine, and said: "Hold on, Emma...I still need you..."

"P-Prowl...?" Emma struggled to open her eyes, but she felt so weak that she _couldn't_. It scared her, and she tried to grasp his hand, but felt even _weaker_. "What happened...? Where's...where's my...baby?" She tried to focus on her breathing. "What about...the others?"

"Everybody's fine," Prowl whispered to her. "Everybody's here...Emma? Emma?!"

She wanted to open her eyes...she knew that the baby was out, and she wanted to hold it, to cuddle it...but, her body wouldn't allow her to wake up, properly and, she felt herself sliding into unconsciousness again. "Prowl...where's my...baby? Prowl...Prowl..."


	21. Delta

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level coarse language

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Magical Princess - let's all hope she'll be okay!

ringo-tensai - yes, poor Lockdown. Lolz, Angel's temper...yeah, it was pretty bad...okay, here's the update!

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Delta

* * *

_Angel continued to train with Master Yoketron every solar cycle, but she was no longer allowed out on missions, especially since Jazz had been promoted to Elite Guard status, and Lockdown (not to mention the other Vampires) were still out there._

_Not that she'd _told_ anybody that Lockdown was half Vampire, preferring to keep that information to herself._

_Angel was, unfortunately, becoming increasingly bored with her house-arrest, and a bored Angel was _always_ a sign of trouble. Master Yoketron knew this better than anybot and, so, when the opportunity to keep a young and rebellious bot out of the stockade arose, Master Yoketron decided to take the chance to take in this young bot, thus giving the bot another chance _and_ giving Angel a distraction (therefore killing two birds with one stone)._

_The young bot, so far nameless, was a real handful, but nothing that Master Yoketron couldn't handle. He saw potential, as well as the true spark of an Autobot, but he first put the young one on cleaning duty, because at the beginning was where all ninja-bots must start._

I believe that this one has the potential not just to become a great ninja-bot..._ Master Yoketron mused thoughtfully, standing with his back to a sliding door, which slid open a little ways all of a sudden._

_"Master Yoketron?" Angel whispered softly. "Who's that?"_

_"A young bot I have decided to let stay here, Angel." Master Yoketron replied quietly. "I see great potential in him as a student."_

_Angel was silent for a moment, before she muttered: "Yeah? Well, I don't." She let the door close again, and walked off down the hallway, deep in thought._

_Master Yoketron barely contained a chuckle. _You may not, but that is because he is so much like you, my young one...there is much I believe you two can learn from each other...

* * *

_The young bot was none-too-happy about being put on cleaning duty. So what if he'd just been saved from the stockades by some old bot with a few tricks at his disposal? That didn't mean that he _owed_ the old bot anything!_

_"Lousy old bot, thinks he _owns_ me or something..." The young bot muttered, storming down the hallway in a not-quiet way. "Why should he even _care_ about what happens to me?!" He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and, so, he ended up walking into the wrong room._

_The room was big, but furnished rather sparsely, with only a recharge berth; desk and chair. The most predominant feature of the room, however, was the multitude of crystal lamps that hung from the ceilings or were placed on the desk or in the corners of the room. The room carried a sense of secrecy and mystery to it, and was most definitely owned by a femme._

_The young bot stared at it, surprised by the sense he was getting from the room, like something was _drawing_ him to it, or to whomever owned the room. The young bot took a half step forwards, and then stopped. He turned around._

_A femme stood behind him, a look on her face like she was going to kill him or something. She was mainly silver and grey, though her collar and shoulder pads were gold, and there was a glowing blue orb resting within her forehead and a gold halo-like structure almost like a tiara was there, as well. She had a pair of white and silver wings on her back, which was unusual for an Autobot. Perhaps it was her optics that were most unusual - unlike most Autobots, this femme's optics were _yellow_, and seemed to be as guarded as the young bot's she was staring at usually were. She held herself with a mild degree of authority, in a fairly regal way, although she carried with her the same amount of mystery as her room did._

_Despite all the strangeness about her, and the fact that she looked like a superior bot that wanted to kill him, the young bot almost immediately came undone, as soon as he locked gazes with her._

_Everything that made him who he was, and there wasn't a lot of that right at that moment, which had been connected to him by chords, was suddenly cut away - snip, snip! They floated up into space._

_He was not left drifting - one firm, steel cable held him to where he was. It tied him to one thing, and that was the centre of the universe. He could see how the universe swirled around this one point, and how symmetrical it in fact was. Only _one_ thing was connecting him to the place where he stood._

_The femme that suddenly walked past him without a word, and closed the door behind her swiftly, leaving him staring after her, suddenly overcome with annoyance..._

* * *

_Master Yoketron sighed. Things were not going well between Angel and the new student. They were constantly arguing, about anything and everything or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, they were give each other the silent treatment, and refuse to even be in the same room together._

_The most frustrating thing about it, however, was that everybody but those two could _see_ that there was a definite spark between them. Flare-Up and Elita-1 could see it, and attempted to talk to Angel about it, but the stubborn silver femme refused to even acknowledge it._

_When it became apparent to her that the young bot could not master Processor-Over-Matter, it reminded her instantly of how Lockdown never grasped it either._

_"You can't even master Processor-Over-Matter?" Angel shook her head. "You're no cyber-ninja..." She turned and walked away._

_"What would _you_ know?!" The young bot asked her, angrily. "You know _nothing_ about me! You're just a stubborn and spoilt little princess..."_

_Angel turned swiftly, and attacked the young bot, with such strength that it surprised both of them. She soon had him by the throat, and slammed up against a wall. Her yellow optics burned fiercely, and her voice was quivering with underlying anger as she said: "_You_ know nothing about _my_ life! You have no idea what I've been through, what it's like to see everyone you love get taken offline, or worse!" She threw him to the floor, her servos shaking. "But, when have _you_ ever had to sacrifice anything in your perfect little life?" She turned and walked away, brushing past her Master Yoketron without another word._

_The young bot glared after her, and then switched his glare to Master Yoketron. "What's _her_ problem?!" He demanded to know._

_Master Yoketron sighed, and motioned the young bot to sit beside him. He did so, feeling angry and confused._

_Master Yoketron said: "I have known Angel since the day she came online, and she was not always like this. True, she was somewhat stubborn and hot-tempered, but I gave her the designation Angel based on many things, including her true nature. Angel is not an easy femme to handle, but there are many things that have happened to her that have made her untrusting and, above all, _lonely_. But, when her spark _does_ warm up to others, it is beneficial for both parties involved." He added, meaningfully._

_The young bot thought about this for a moment, before nodding. He stood up without another word, and walked out of the room, heading towards the door that he had not dared to open since that first solar cycle..._

* * *

_The young bot hesitated for a few cycles, before pressing the button and opening the door to Angel's room._

_What met his optics made him forget everything he had been about to say._

_Holographic images filled the room, seeming to come from the lanterns, which were lit up with a blue glow that seemed to be focused on Angel herself, as she sat in the centre of the room, humming in concentration. Her side was to him, but her optics were open, and the look on her face was happier than the young bot had ever seen it, although he sensed a deep feeling of anguish within her spark, as well._

_The images depicted were of a beautiful place, which seemed to be a mixture of technology and organic-nature. Young bots ran around, laughing and playing as older bots walked around, and some of them transformed to reveal themselves as giant robotic-animals. All sorts of bots, in different shapes and colours, with sparkling optics and the same blue spheres on their foreheads as Angel's. The holograms moved in and out of the room's walls, appearing and disappearing like conscious-figures in a dream._

_The young bot then noticed the liquid running down Angel's face, and realised that she was crying. Her entire body shook with her sobs, but she didn't once break the melodic and calming rhythm of her humming._

_A beautiful blue femme with violet optics approached Angel, along with a golden mech with amber optics. A slightly younger aqua femme with blue optics and a red femme with bright green optics hovered in the background, as the older Transformers stood on either side of Angel, and then knelt down beside her, placing their hands on her shoulders._

_The four Transformers looked an awful lot like Angel, but with varying differences. Whereas Angel was bird-like, the other bots had different animal qualities about them - the red femme was fox-like; the aqua femme was fish-like; the golden mech was cat-like; and the blue femme was wolf-like. But, they smiled at Angel, and the way they smiled at her made the whole situation both happy and sad, for Angel..._

_She looked at the mech first, and then at the femme, and that was when she noticed the young bot standing in the doorway._

_Angel gasped and, her concentration broken, the holograms disappeared. Not only that, but the seven crystal lamps that she had been levitating using Processor-Over-Matter suddenly fell to the floor._

_The young bot, without even thinking, dashed into the room, and Angel moved at the same time. They managed to catch three lamps each, and then they both moved for the seventh one, which they caught at the same time and, as they did, an electrical shock ran through their digits._

_The young bot stared at Angel, as she stared at him, and then they both got up and continued to stare at each other._

_Angel finally moved, taking the other three lamps from the young bot and returning all seven of them to their places around the room. She then turned and looked at the young bot, not saying anything. Waiting for him to make the first move._

_He cleared his throat, and then lost his nerve._

_Angel rolled her optics, and made to move past the young bot, to exit from the room._

_As she passed him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Wait." He said._

_"I'm waiting." She replied, not looking at him._

_The young bot said: "What _was_ all that?"_

_"Holograms." She replied, simply._

_"Of?" The young bot wanted to know._

_"My family." She replied, softly, her tense stance suddenly slumping, slightly. She sighed. "And, the rest of my race. I'm not a Cybertronian - I'm a Teraminian."_

_"Teraminian?" The young bot had never heard of the term before._

_Angel nodded, and finally turned to face him. "A long time ago, Teramina was Cybertron's sister-planet. But, Teramina was different, in that nature coincided with technology. We were very happy, but then, in one solar cycle, all of that happiness vanished for us."_

_"The Decepticons?" The young bot asked._

_"No!" Angel snapped. "This was a time _before_ your kind were split into two factions, and the destruction of _my_ planet was the very _reason_ for that! The Decepticons never did anything wrong, but everybot blamed them for it, anyway! Now, they're taking it all out on the ones - the Autobots - that never showed up to help when Teramina was being attacked by Vampires!" She suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth, and looked away._

_The young bot was silent for a moment, before asking, quietly: "Do you resent them for that? The Autobots, I mean...?"_

_Angel hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. "No...I don't _resent_ them for it, but I don't trust them, either. Now, after seeing the devastation that the Decepticons have caused other planets, I find that I can't trust _them_, either. The only one I can _really_ trust is Master Yoketron. He put his life on the line to protect me from Lord Fhantom, and used his powers as a cyber-ninja to seal the Vampire Lord away." She shook her head, again. "If _anything_ were to happen to Master Yoketron..." The tears had started to fall again. "Almost everybot that's tried to protect me has died doing so, or worse...all because I've got the slagging All-Spark within me!" She suddenly surprised the young bot by throwing her arms around him, and burying her face into his chest-plate. "Sometimes I wish I'd never been born at all, since I was born with it inside of me!" The young bot was stunned, unable to do or say anything, as Angel continued with: "I don't ever want anything like that to happen to anybot else I care about! The All-Spark is _life_, but Lord Fhantom wishes to use it for destruction! I try and distance myself from others so they won't get hurt, but it ends up happening anyway!"_

_The young bot eventually regained the ability to move, and did so. He brought up his arms, and wrapped them around Angel's shoulders, resting his chin against the side of her head and murmuring: "Is that why you don't like me?"_

_She drew back a bit from him, staring up at him in surprise. "Not _like_ you? Why on Cybertron would I not _like_ you? You're smart and tough, and despite not being able to use Processor-Over-Matter, you're a really good cyber-ninja. You've got so much potential, everybot can see that. You're also..." She blushed, slightly. "Kinda cool..."_

_The young bot was surprised to hear this. He hadn't thought that Angel thought any more of him than when she called him 'stubborn' and 'hot-headed'. Then again, she was fairly hot-tempered _herself_, so..._

_"I can't believe I've never asked you this before, but what's your designation?" Angel wanted to know._

_The young bot shrugged. "They never gave me one." He replied._

_Angel looked thoughtful, and then she smiled - _really_ smiled, something that caught the young bot off-guard. "I know...you were able to sneak up on me when I was at the height of my ninja-bot focus. Only a servo-full of bots have _ever_ been able to do that, so I'm gonna call you..."_

* * *

_"Prowl! Prowl!" Angel called, leaping over the rooftops of Cybertron, as she searched for the young black cyber-ninja. "Prowl!" She spotted him, sitting with his back to her, and staring at a stellar-storm that was arcing across the skies in a glorious and spectacular manner. Angel smirked slightly, and jumped towards him._

_He suddenly turned, and grabbed her, throwing her to the rooftop and pinning her there. It was Prowl's turn to smirk. "You can't sneak up on me." He told her._

_She rolled her optics. "How is it that you can't master Processor-Over-Matter, but you can somehow get me into this position?"_

_Prowl just looked at her. "I heard you coming."_

_"Oh. Right." Angel smiled sheepishly, and Prowl let her up. "So, Master Yoketron's looking for you - he says it's important!"_

_Prowl nodded, and together the two of them made their way back, whilst the stellar-storm arced over their heads._

_"You would've liked Teramina." Angel said, absently, as they landed at the foot of the building. "Halfway through the year, we'd get a few solar cycles of huge electrical storms where liquid fell from the sky, and then when the liquid in the clouds mingled with the light from the sun, it created bands of colour in the sky."_

_"Impressive." Prowl nodded, as they walked inside..._

* * *

_Master Yoketron had one last training session for Prowl which, of course, he passed with flying colours - _blind-folded_._

_At the end of it, Master Yoketron presented Prowl with shurikens, as he was now a cyber-ninja worthy of a weapon._

_Master Yoketron; Prowl and Angel walked through the halls, and entered a chamber where the busts of other cyber-ninja were illuminated on pedestals around the room._

_"Soon," Master Yoketron said to Prowl. "You will take your place along your cyber-ninja brothers and sister." He gestured to the busts._

_Prowl easily recognized Angel's, which was furthest to the left. Next to hers, there was a blank space._

_Prowl pointed. "Is that space...for...?"_

_"A former student," Master Yoketron said, sadly, as Angel turned away. "Who brought shame to the Cyber Ninja Co." They continued walking, but Angel stopped, in front of the two spaces on the other side of the darkened space._

_She knelt down, and held her servos out in front of her, in prayer, and that was when prowl noticed that the two busts were dimmed, but not completely dark. She closed her optics._

_Master Yoketron left her, and walked over to a door, where he used Processor-Over-Matter to open it._

_Prowl was impressed - it made him even _more_ determined to learn Processor-Over-Matter._

_He learned about the protoforms that they were protecting, and that it was the mission of the Cyber-Ninjas. Master Yoketron told him, confidingly, that if the protoforms were needed to be brought online to rise up in a surge against the Decepticons (should all else fail) then they would need some Angel's All-Spark powers to do the job properly. Prowl understood - Angel must be protected. He understood now why she was the way she was._

_She had started opening up to Prowl more, though, after giving him his designation that had just stuck - now everybot was calling him that. Not that he _minded_...Prowl was also starting to see why Angel was named the way she was. Underneath all of her walls and stubbornness and the fact that she tried to keep others away, once she was close to them she _stayed_ close to them; she was sweet and caring and...Prowl had to admit it, she was beautiful._

_Not that he would ever _tell_ her that, of course..._

_Also, she kept calling out the fact that he couldn't master Processor-Over-Matter, and she did so just then, when he failed to use it to close the door all the way._

_Master Yoketron held up a servo, silencing her gently, and then he said to Prowl: "You have the spark within you, you simply have to _locate_ it. That is why I am sending you on an optics-quest."_

_Angel looked up sharply at Master Yoketron. "You're _what_?!" She hissed, looking shocked. Her spark had begun to pound in her chest-plate. She clenched and unclenched her fists, as Master Yoketron instructed Prowl to find his spark._

_Prowl nodded, and then bowed to Master Yoketron, before turning and walking from the room. He turned once, and glanced at Angel, and was shocked to see a look of almost pleading in her optics._

_He didn't move for a moment, and then he turned and walked out of the room._

_Angel watched him go, and then she turned to Master Yoketron. If it had been _anybot_ else, then she would have probably yelled at them. However, she just took a deep breath, and said, in the calmest voice possible: "Why did you do that?" She stared at the floor._

_Master Yoketron placed a servo under her chin, and made her look up at him. "I sent you out on an optics-quest, a long time ago, and you came back a splendid cyber-ninja."_

_"Yeah, but..." Angel put her face in her servo. "What if he doesn't come back?" She whispered._

_Master Yoketron's blue optics were gentle. "He _will_ come back, Angel."_

_"I...I _really_ like him, Master Yoketron..." Angel finally admitted, embarrassed. "A lot..."_

_Master Yoketron nodded. "I know, Angel. I will tell you something - he feels the same way about you. There is a definite _connection_ with your sparks. Do not be afraid to let him know that."_

_Angel sighed, and leaned forwards, resting her head on Master Yoketron's shoulder. "I don't want to lose him." She said. "When will he be back?"_

_"When he realises that what he has been searching for, has been here all along." Master Yoketron replied._

* * *

_The walls shook, as the invasion was clearly imminent. It didn't take a Space-Bridge-Genius to figure out that it was the Decepticons._

_Angel's spark beat in her chest-plate - this was _not_ okay!_

_"What have they come for?!" Angel cried._

_"They have come for the protoforms, which we _must_ protect." Master Yoketron told her. "And I, must protect _you_, dear Angel - do not be afraid."_

_"Master Yoketron..." Angel whispered, just as the ceiling above them collapsed, and a dozen or so Decepticons crashed in through the hole. Angel was startled to realise that she didn't recognize them - there were so many new Decepticons, and they didn't seem to recognize her...all of them stared at her with lustful optics, which scared her..._

* * *

_Angel wasn't about to let herself be taken advantage of, so she fought with every ounce of her being, taking out four Decepticons simultaneously, before she realised that Master Yoketron was in trouble. Even though she was injured, she rushed to help him but, before she could reach him, another Decepticon jumped down and landed in front of her._

_Angel looked up, and felt her spark skip a beat. "Lockdown?" She stared at him._

_Lockdown looked down at her. "Hello, kid. Fancy meeting you here."_

_Angel suddenly remembered what was happening, and realised that she needed to be on-guard. "Why are you _doing_ this?!" Angel hissed, glaring up at her former bodyguard._

_"I told you I was gonna become a bounty-hunter, kid," Lockdown replied calmly, ducking as a Decepticon went flying over his head. "This is my first assignment, and it couldn't be easier - just you and the old bot to take out."_

_Angel's temper began to rise. "What's happened to you, Lockdown? This isn't like you..."_

_Lockdown chuckled without mirth. "Kid, you've got a _lot_ to learn about how things work." He was looking at her, though, and wishing that she _wasn't_ here - they may be enemies now, but he didn't want it to be that way. Still, he had a mission, and the Decepticons wanted Angel _and_ the protoforms. "So, why don't you just come with me, and..."_

_"Like Pit I will." Angel growled, and leapt at him._

_He easily blocked her attacks, predicting exactly what she was going to do and easily over-powering her, when he was calm and she was upset, he was in perfect health and she was injured. He had her on the floor in an instant, still smirking._

_"I know _all_ your moves, kid." Lockdown said calmly._

_Angel stared at him, and then gritted her teeth. "Not _all_ of them, _Lockdown_." She closed her optics, and concentrated, harnessing the power of her spark. She suddenly lashed out with the power, which became a physical power that pushed Lockdown off of her._

_He flipped over, and landed easily, his scarlet optics taking in the power before him._

_Something shifted within his spark, a combination of sensing the awesome power of the All-Spark and the deep, rick energon flowing through Angel. He sensed that his Vampire side was starting to take effect...but, Angel's energon...it was one of the most alluring things he had ever sensed..._

_Lockdown shook his head, and glanced to his left, to where his former Master was getting beaten by eight Decepticons, including Oil Slick._

_Lockdown said: "Remember what we came here for - you all get the protoforms, I'll take care of these two!"_

_"You're _not_ taking my protoforms, Lockdown!" Angel told him._

_"Uh, yeah, I am." Lockdown told her, as the Decepticons let Master Yoketron fall to the floor as they moved off._

_Angel gasped. "M-Master Yoketron!" She ran to him, and placed her hands on his chest-plate. "I'm sorry, Master Yoketron, I..."_

_"Angel...my...Angel..." Master Yoketron said, weakly._

_Angel suddenly gasped, as Lockdown grabbed her by the throat, and held her up. His strength was incredible!_

_"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, kid," Lockdown had a mysterious glint in his optic, and that was when Angel noticed the razor-sharp fangs he had on either side of his mouth - Vampire fangs._

_Angel paled. A Vampire - Lockdown was really half Vampire! Her spark beat wildly in her chest-plate, giving her away._

_"Lockdown..." Master Yoketron sounded, for the first time since Angel had known him, angry. "Do not...you do not know the impact your decisions will have..."_

_"I think I'll take my chances." Lockdown smirked, and threw Angel across the room, where she hit the wall and then landed, feeling the strength knocked out of her._

_She slumped against the wall, but managed to open her optics half-way, and watch just as Lockdown stabbed Master Yoketron right in the chest-plate, missing his spark by mere inches!_

_"Master Yoketron!" Angel screamed, her optics filled with tears._

_"Ang...el..." Master Yoketron said, weakly, as Lockdown walked away from him and over towards Angel, her being too weak to fight against him as he picked her up in a fireman's hold, and carried her away. "My...Angel...never forget those that...love you...my...Angel..."_

_"Master Yoketron!" Angel shouted, trying to struggle now, and feeling a hollow, empty-feeling in her chest-plate. "No! Noooo!" _Prowl, where _are_ you?! Prowl! Why doesn't anybot ever come?! Somebot _help_ us! Please!

* * *

Emma woke up quickly, her heart hammering in her chest, as she threw her hand out, and was rewarded with a handful of echidna stickers.

"Owch!" She cried, shaking her hand and then pulling out a few remaining spikes.

Scuz-Bag, woken up by this, realised that his mistress was okay, and desperately nuzzled against her side. She patted the side of his face, before looking around and realising that she was in the med bay at the Autobot's Base.

A voice suddenly said: "Emma, you're alright!" It was a voice that she hadn't heard in awhile.

Emma looked across the large berth, and saw Professor Sumdac kneeling beside a body she couldn't quite see.

"Isaac, you're alright, too!" Emma cried, launching herself at him and hugging him swiftly. He hugged her back. Emma suddenly looked over his shoulder, at what he had been kneeling before. Emma gasped. "H-how long was I out for?!" She let go of the Professor, and stared in complete shock. "Is that..._Sari_?"

Of course, Emma had been expecting Sari to look like a teenager, since she had used to key to upgrade herself in the TV show, and of _course_ she was going to do it in real life. But...this was...

Sari was taller, possibly a few inches taller than Emma herself. Her dark red hair was now shorter, and tied up into two small pigtails. Emma reached over and touched a hand to Sari's forehead. As soon as she did, a warm blue glow appeared around her hand, and on Sari's forehead.

Emma drew her hand back and the glow disappeared. She looked over at Isaac, and repeated her question: "_How_ long was I out for?"

"Not very long." Isaac assured her. "It is a _long_ story."

Emma nodded, just as the door to the med-bay opened, and the Autobots all came in.

They stopped in their tracks when they saw her, but she was only looking at Prowl. Memories of her dreams flooded back to her, and a thousand and one emotions entered her mind.

Just then, she heard a groan, and glanced down.

"Emma...you're...kneeling on my hand..." Sari muttered. The now-sixteen-year-old opened her eyes, which were now a brilliant and electric Autobot blue.

Emma gasped, and jumped back. "Sorry kiddo...I mean...uh..." She glanced helplessly at Isaac.

Sari, meanwhile, glanced over at the Autobots. "Told'ya it'd be alright." She said, trying to smile.

"Try not to talk, kid." Ratchet seemed to have no trouble calling Sari that. "You're still pretty weak."

Sari rested her head back on the pillow. "You were right about taking things slow, Ratchet." She admitted. "I should've listened."

"And _I_ should have trusted you to handle the truth." Isaac told her. He turned to Emma, and explained: "Sari is...not what she seems...she is..."

"A techno-organic." Sari said, sounding proud. "And, a _teenager_."

Emma was still not used to Sari's new voice _or_ looks as a teenager. She had also just realised something. "I guess you don't need me anymore, hey?" She smiled sadly.

Sari looked at her, and then sat up. "I may not, but I'm not the _only_ techno-organic created from a protoform, am I?"

"You're not?" Emma blinked, and then she remembered. All of the colour drained from her face, and she looked around, wildly. "Oh my Primus! My baby - _where's my baby_?!" She cried. She looked at Prowl. "Prowl, where is she?! Where?!"

Ratchet sighed. "Okay, calm down, you and Sari _both_ still need your rest!" He said, gruffly. "Prowl, take Emma to the room."

Prowl nodded, and walked over to the berth, where he picked up Emma and took her out of the room.

"Boy, is _she_ in for a surprise." Sari grinned.

As Prowl walked down the hallway, Emma said: "Prowl, how is she? How's my baby? Is she okay?"

"Not she, Emma." Prowl replied, calmly, walking to a room at the end of the hall.

"Huh?" Emma blinked. "Oh, okay, I had a boy - he, then. That's okay. how is he?"

"Not he, Emma." Prowl was enjoying this.

He opened the door to the room.

Emma was speechless, as Prowl carried her into the room. Then, she said: "Where did all this _stuff_ come from?!"

The room was decked out in an amazing array of pastel colours, and had everything a baby could ever want.

"Victoria, and Miko, and Fanzone..." Prowl shrugged, and then realised that Emma wasn't listening to him.

She had gone stock-still, and was staring at the two identical white cradles by the window of the room. "Prowl?" She whispered, shaking slightly.

Prowl assumed his holoform, still holding Emma in his arms, but then he placed her down on the floor and took her by the hand.

"_They_, Emma." Prowl looked at her. She looked back at him, and he noticed that she was terrified. "Emma, it's okay - they've been waiting for you for days."

"But...how?" Emma was still whispering. "How do they even know me? Normal human babies don't..."

"But, they're _not_ normal." Prowl told her, firmly but gently. "You'll see..."

Emma nodded, and allowed Prowl to lead her over to the cradles. She took one look inside them, and cried: "_How_ long was I out for?!"

All noise from outside seemed to stop, as Emma started shaking again, despite Prowl's comforting hands on her shoulders. The baby girls she was looking at appeared to be weeks, if not months, old.

Emma couldn't tear her eyes away, but she said: "Prowl?"

"See, I told you that they're not normal." Prowl said, calmly, just as one of the twins opened her eyes. "She's the eldest." Prowl added.

Emma was too stunned to say anything.

The eldest twin had reddish-pink hair that had the same waviness as Emma's, and strange but beautiful eyes that were a dark orange colour, and filled with not a child-like curiosity, but an adult one, aware and intelligent, and it confused Emma. The eldest twin reached up her hands, pushing back the light blankets. She was dressed in a purple dress that complimented her hair, and she was looking impatiently at Emma, before she switched her gaze to Prowl.

"Yes, that's her." Prowl murmured, a warm look coming across his face.

"She _can't_ be mine, Prowl." Emma whispered.

"I know it seems hard to believe, but she _is_." Prowl replied. "They _both_ are...I was there when Ratchet removed them from you...you've been unconscious for three days..."

Emma looked at him. "I was...unconscious?" She blinked. "No...I was _asleep_...I dreamed...about..." She gasped.

"About what?" Prowl asked, a slight hint of urgency in his voice.

Emma looked at him. "About us..." She whispered. "You and I, when I was...Angel..." Tears filled her eyes.

Prowl looked shocked. "E-Emma...?"

Emma smiled, suddenly. "I was really obnoxious, wasn't I? I was hot-tempered, and I chastised you about not being able to master Processor-Over-Matter..."

Prowl gulped, and didn't say anything.

They stared at each other, until the twin that was awake, getting impatient, let out a sharp wail.

Without even knowing what they were really doing, Emma and Prowl suddenly reached towards the child, and the child responded by reaching out and grabbing Emma's index-finger in one hand, and Prowl's in the other.

A warm bolt immediately coursed through Emma, and she felt a bond that immediately connected her with the child that now looked up at her.

Emma just stared at her - of _course_ this child was hers, she could sense it now, an undeniable bond, one that she had never felt before, but she had, somehow, always wanted. She could also see, the shape of her face...yet, there was her Mother's nose...and, her Father's forehead...

It was those eyes, though, that made Emma realise the _other_ thing...

"Prowl..." Emma whispered to the mech, reaching out her other hand and touching it to the baby girl's forehead. "I need to say...something..." He glanced at her. "When I...touched the protoforms, that day, up on the moon...at the same time as _I_ did...so did...Starscream..."

Prowl froze. Of _all_ the things Emma had said, this was the _last_ thing Prowl had expected her to say. This, effectively, made Starscream...the twins' _Father_...

"I can see it...in the colour of...this one's eyes..." Emma said, and then she reached down, and picked up the baby, supporting the back of the little girl's neck, as she lifted her up and held the baby to her chest. "They absorbed _my_ DNA, and whatever Transformers are made up of, they got Starscream's, too..." She closed her eyes, and breathed in deeply, getting the sense of the fact that this baby, this _sparkling_, was half human and half Transformer. She had a heart, and she had a spark, and that made her very special indeed. "She's _mine_...she's my..._daughter_...she was created from a protoform that we were supposed to protect...but, in a way, we _did_ protect her...I think Master Yoketron would be so proud..." Emma suddenly opened her eyes, as Prowl grabbed her, drawing her to him so that her back was to his chest, as he put his arms around her and rested his face against the top of her head.

"I _know_ he would be..." Prowl whispered, nuzzling his face against her hair, and making her blush. "And, for the record, I never thought that you were obnoxious..."

Emma smiled. "That makes _one_ of us, at least...by the way, _did_ you ever find what you were looking for?"

Prowl seemed about to answer, when the eldest twin (and, Emma though vaguely, she must have gotten her hair colour from the hair dye) suddenly wailed again, and this time, Emma got a sense that the baby was hungry.

Emma panicked. "Uh, what do I do?!"

Ratchet, in his holoform, suddenly came in, holding a bottle of some sort of very pale pink stuff.

"What's in that?" Emma asked.

"A mixture of energon and organic-milk," Ratchet told her, taking the child from her arms and holding up the bottle, which he kept a hold of even when the baby grabbed it and forced the teat into her mouth, drinking greedily. "This one _especially_ won't wait when she's hungry, so we always have one on standby, just in case."

Prowl glanced at Emma, and she shook her head. She didn't want to tell anyone else what she'd just told Prowl. If Sentinel found out, he would have a spark-attack.

Emma turned around, and looked into the second cradle, where the youngest twin still slept. _Oh yeah, she's definitely like me..._ Emma thought, reaching in and placing a hand on the child's forehead. "Come on, wake up, sweetie..."

The child woke up slowly, opening her eyes which were the exact same colour as her sister's, and held the same amount of intelligence. Her hair was a reddish-pink colour, and messier than Emma's, but she had the same face as her sister's, and she smiled happily as she reached out for her Mother, and allowed herself to be picked up. She nuzzled against Emma's neck, and Emma got the same sense - one of belonging and acceptance. These babies wouldn't _judge_ her, and they were _hers_ - she somehow _knew_ how to hold them, and who they were. They knew who _she_ was, too, and it didn't make _any_ sense and it didn't _have_ to.

All she knew was that, as Sari and her Dad, and the rest of the Autobots, peeked into the room, that there was something just so _complete_ about this whole scenario. Well, almost...

Emma suddenly thought of something, and it caused her heart to start beating wildly.

Prowl looked at her. "Emma?"

Emma gulped. "Wh-what happened to..." She had been about to ask about the Decepticons, but it seemed so strange to ask about them in a place like this. She back-tracked. "Where's Blurr?"

Bumblebee and Bulkhead exchanged a glance. "Nobody knows," Bumblebee said. "He got sucked through the Space-Bridge with two of Starscream's clones..."

"Excuse me?"

The Autobots all looked at each other. "Uh, it's a _long_ story." Optimus told her.

"Hmm, sounds familiar." Emma raised an eyebrow, and Isaac looked sheepish. "Okay, at least tell me _this_, then...do you think Blurr made it back to Cybertron? Which bot does he report to...?"

Bumblebee said: "Well, he reports to...Long...Arm..."

The Autobots all froze.

Sari said to Emma: "It turns out that Long-Arm was this double-agent, not Wasp..."

Nobody knew what to say after that.

* * *

Later that night, Emma was sitting in the twin's room, watching them as they slept and hoping that she didn't look like a stalker. Prowl was by her side, and watching her more than he watched the babies.

"I can't believe we can't get through to Cybertron..." Emma muttered, resting her head on her palm. "I get the feeling something bad's happened to Blurr...and Sari, a _teenager_, wow, and a techno-organic one, at that...I bet she becomes best friends with Miko and Flora..."

Prowl chuckled.

Emma looked at him. "What?" She asked.

Prowl was smiling. "You...you're just...incredible..."

Emma blinked. "How so?"

"In the face of all this chaos, you seem so..._calm_." Prowl told her.

She laughed softly, so as not to wake the twins. "How do you figure _that_ out, Prowl? I freaked out not ten minutes after I woke up!" She shook her head. "Do you think I can do this?"

"I _know_ you can," Prowl said, softly, taking her hand. "You're a very strong woman, Emma."

"Am I?" She asked, not quite believing him.

Prowl nodded. "You came here from another world, and adapted to having Decepticons and Vampires after you, and you're _going_ to adapt to being a Mother...you were adaptable when i knew you before, and you are now..."

Emma sighed. "But...what _did_ happen to me...why was I Angel before, but Emma now?" She sighed. "I haven't remembered past the day Master Yoketron was taken offline..."

"You will..." Prowl reassured her, leaning towards her. "I know you will..."

Emma smiled, and leaned towards her. Just as their lips touched, sending that familiar tingle across both sets, one of the twins - the eldest - suddenly woke up, and started wailing.

Emma and Prowl were up in an instant - Prowl went to get the bottle, and Emma reached down and picked up her eldest daughter, noticing that the youngest was still able to sleep through her sister's wailing. She smiled, and looked into the eldest twin's impatient, tear-filled eyes. They were really a strange colour - yellow mixed with red, no doubt.

"I _really_ need to come up with names for you two..." Emma whispered. She started to sing, as Prowl came back and handed her the bottle, which the eldest twin immediately set upon.

As Emma sang the lullaby from _Lady And The Tramp_, she realised that Carly had been right - she _had_ gotten twin girls, probably because of what she'd said!

"_La la loo, La la loo, Oh my little star sleeper, I'll sweep the stardust for you La la loo, La la loo, Little soft, fluffy sleeper Here comes a pink cloud for you La la loo, La la loo, Little wandering angel, Fold up your wings, close your eyes La la loo, La la loo, And may love be your keeper La la loo La la loo La la loo..._"

Emma thought about what her parents would say, if they were here...she _missed_ them, despite everything, and she wondered if she'd ever see them again. She then realised that her twenty-third birthday was coming up soon, in ten days!

_I can't believe it...I've been here for nearly a year...oh my Primus..._

* * *

On the seventeenth of September, 2051, Emma felt like a brand new person. She'd learned - both the easy way and the hard way - what being a Mother meant but, luckily, she had Ratchet and Isaac and Victoria and Fuchsia to help her with the things she didn't know. And Prowl...oh, Prowl was _brilliant_, he fit right into the role of...Father?

"Ha, yeah _right_!" Emma said, out-loud, one day, as she thought about this. She was sitting on the park bench, near to Mama Fuyano's. Prowl; Flora and Sari had taken the twins to meet Mama Fuyano, but Emma's feet were sore so she'd decided to sit down for a few minutes. Now, wearing a silvery-grey turtleneck jumper and black jeans, Emma laughed to herself. "This has _got_ to be a dream...one come true, that is..."

"Talking to yourself, freak?" A voice said, and Emma looked up in surprise to see Charlie, flanked by all of her friends, and a girl Emma didn't recognize, but the look of the girl slightly worried her.

Emma stood up, but the girl grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back down. "What are you...?!"

"You've been giving my cousin shit." The girl snapped. "Our family doesn't take too kindly to that!"

"What?!" Emma exclaimed. "I haven't seen your cousin in about four months!"

"Plus," the girl went on. "My Aunty got _fired_, because your precious _Isaac Sumdac_ came back and said she'd been being mean to that red-haired brat!"

Emma glared at her. "Don't you _dare_ say anything bad about Isaac and Sari!" She stood up quickly. "Ailyshia already found out the hard way what I'm willing to do to defend _my_ family!"

"You little bitch!" The cousin said. "You're gonna have to do _more_ than just act like a _slut_ up onstage to save yourself from _me_!"

As the other girls moved back, Charlie smirked, and said: "You're fucked now - Ashleigh's a black-belt in karate."

"Hmm, I've got a cousin named Ashlee," Emma said, calmly, because she realised what was about to happen. "A _really_ nice person, and a teacher, at that. I love her, now. But, you know what? She's a self-proclaimed former _bitch_, and I don't _like_ bitches."

"You fucking bitch!" Ashleigh aimed a punch at her, which Emma dodged, thanks to Victoria's training.

"No, _you_!" Emma replied, smartly dodging again, like when Aang versed the bully at the Fire Nation school in _Avatar_. She had already decided not to lay a punch on this girl, because it just wasn't worth it and, besides, she didn't want to _hurt_ somebody!

Unfortunately, this girl seemed _intent_ on hurting _her_, and it was all she could do to dodge. Just then, a car pulled up, and a bunch of guys got out.

One of them called: "Hey, Ash, need some help?!"

"This is that Emma bitch, bro!" Ashleigh replied, and Emma felt her blood run cold. How did this situation even _happen_?! "Help me teach her a lesson for fucking up our family!"

These boys, all of whom were about six foot tall and built like German tanks, soon mobbed Emma, and she was not able to get away, as two got on either side of her and grabbed her by the arms.

Ashleigh advanced on her as she struggled, but Charlie stopped her. "No way, this is mine, for what you said to me at the zoo, bitch!" She smirked. "oh, and for getting my Mum fired."

"Oh, let _me_ get one in too, for upstaging me at EvƎ." Ailyshia added, stepping forwards.

"Oh, and me." Stacey grimaced. "You made me trudge through those sewers."

"I didn't make you do _anything_!" Emma cried.

"Me, too." A dark-haired girl said.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like you."

"Oh."

Charlie stepped forwards, cracking her knuckles. "Me first, ladies. I haven't liked this bitch since the moment I first saw her." She raised her fist, and Emma closed her eyes, bracing for the pain.

Just then, she heard some of the girls gasp, and she thought that maybe Charlie had chickened out or something. She opened her eyes, and saw straight away what had happened.

A tanned hand held Charlie's wrist, and a pair of electric blue eyes glared at her.

"Prowl!" Emma gasped.

Prowl turned a softer gaze to her, before glaring fiercely at the two men holding her arms. "Let. Her. Go." Prowl said, through gritted teeth.

"Heh, we know you Autobots can't hurt humans." One of the guys said.

"No, but _we_ can!" Another voice said, and Flora was suddenly there, and somehow managed to kick the huge men away from Emma, and grab her and drag her back. "I should have my Father arrest all of you for assault!"

"_You're_ the police-chief's daughter?!" One of the guys glared at her.

"Yeah," Miko showed up, flanking Emma. "So, what of it? You punks got a _problem_ with that?"

Prowl let go of Charlie's wrist (Emma noted the red marks on there) and stepped back, saying: "You all stay _away_ from my girlfriend, understand?"

Everybody stared at him.

"I _said_, do you understand?" Prowl repeated, glaring at Charlie. "Because, if you come near her again, I _swear_ to Primus, Autobot or not, I _will_ make you regret it."

Emma gulped, and ducked her head, blushing. _Prowl,_ she thought. _I love you..._

Charlie glared at Emma. "I _still_ blame you for getting my Mum fired! You and that red-haired brat, and her fat, idiot of a Father..."

"_What are you saying about my Father_?!" An angry voice yelled, and everybody looked over to see Sari, holding both of the twins that were _still_ unnamed, and she looked positively _livid_.

Those not in the know gasped. "_Sari_?!" They all cried. "_Sari Sumdac_?!"

Sari nodded. "Yes, and I do _not_ appreciate hearing my Father spoken about that way. You know what, Charlie? I'm _glad_ my Dad fired your Mum because, you know what? You entire family are pathetic!"

The youngest twin suddenly spotted her Mother, and reached towards her. Unthinkingly, Emma hurried over to them, and took her youngest child from Sari. "Hey there, sweetspark," Emma cooed, as she and her daughter smiled at each other. "Don't worry, Mummy's fine..."

The jaws of Charlie and her friends hit the ground, just as Flora's Dad showed up in the Bumblebee-look-alike.

"Ah, is there a problem here?" Captain Fanzone asked, calmly.

"Uh-oh..." Charlie exclaimed, backing up. "Abort! Abort!" They all ran to their car, and piled into it like it was a clown-car.

Emma blinked, and then looked over at Prowl.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about them anymore." Prowl said, confidently.

Sari nodded, and then she gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot! Flora, Miko, we have that _thing_ that we have to do, _remember_?" She asked, meaningfully.

"Oh, right, that _thing_!" Miko nodded. "Right!"

Emma smiled knowingly, already aware of what that _thing_ was...

* * *

"_Happy Birthday, Emma_!" Everybody at Sumdac Tower cheered. 'Everybody' was: Sari and her Dad; Victoria and Sai; Mama Fuyano and the other workers (Sakura; Aiko; Zakuro and Kerry); Miko; Flora and her parents; the three Witwickys and all five Autobots. Well, Sai didn't cheer, but he was smiling, although Emma noticed that he kept his distance from all the other Autobots.

Emma stood in the middle of the room, with both twins on her lap, and a mountain of gifts next to the world's largest chocolate cake on the table beside her. Scuz looked on in wonder, as Miko placed a crown of flowers on Emma's head.

She shook her head in dismay, and a few petals fluttered around her. Usually, she would have been embarrassed to be the centre of attention, but this was her family in this world, and she knew that they wanted to make this day special for her. They were _happy_ that she'd come to this world, and so was she.

Emma began to open her gifts - they included things like paints from Bulkhead and Miko; a silk yukata from Mama Fuyano and the girls; an ornamental samurai sword from Victoria and Sai - and her daughters helped her, by tearing into the paper along with her.

She got to the last gift - a gold charm bracelet from Bumblebee and Sari - and smiled around at everybody. "Thank you." She said, sincerely.

Everybody smiled, and the party began. The twins were happy to be passed from arms to arms, and there was a lot of cooing going around.

Emma watched them, and then got up, needing to use the bathroom. She went to the bathroom and then, on the way back, she saw something glowing outside, in the darkness. Stepping outside, Emma stooped down, and saw...

"An All-Spark Fragment!" She exclaimed softly, and picked it up.

It was immediately absorbed into her hand, and she at once got a vision...

_"Hey, wait for me!" Angel yelled, trying to catch up with the aqua femme and the red femme. "Aqua! Audacity!"_

_They were laughing, and came back, taking her by the hands and running with her. "Come on, little sis!" The red femme, Audacity, grinned._

_"Yeah, I can _swim_ faster than you!" Aqua replied._

_Angel pouted. "Aww, you guys always _tease_ me, but one day I'll be able to transform, too!"_

Emma was startled out of her flashback, and held her glowing hand to her chest, as it slowly stopped glowing.

"Emma?" Prowl approached her; he had wondered where she went and come to find her. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Emma looked up at him. "No, nothing's wrong, I just...I think I know the perfect names for the twins..."

"Really?" Prowl's blue eyes sparkled. "What?"

"For the eldest, Aquilla," Emma stated, and the name just _sounded_ right. "And, for the youngest, Audrey." _That_ name sounded right, too. "Aquilla and Audrey." She repeated, smiling.

Prowl smiled, too. "Those names sound..._perfect_." He said, and then he cleared his throat. "Umm...Emma?"

"Hmm?" Emma looked at him.

Prowl gulped, and said: "Umm...Emma, I..." He sighed, and took out a piece of paper. "I wrote this down, because I don't know how to say this, otherwise..."

Emma was perplexed, but something was clicking inside of her brain. Was Prowl about to...?

"Emma," Prowl read. "I feel like I have known you for all of time, but that I could _continue_ to know you for just as long. I want to know _everything_ about you, and to be with you whenever you need me. Like today, I was so _angry_ when these humans tried to hurt you, and I want to be the one to protect you. I want to see you every day, and to be beside you every night. Emma, I know that we're at war with the Decepticons and, quite possibly, the Vampires, at the moment, and so to give me your answer now is not possible. But, one day, after the war," he suddenly got down on one knee, much to Emma's absolute disbelief - she just about _died_ when he pulled a small pink box out of the pocket of his jacket. "Would you, possibly, consider marrying me?"

Emma turned about three shades of pale just then, wondering what on earth she was supposed to _say_! Prowl was _proposing_ to her, he wanted to become her husband and for her to become his wife!

"Don't answer now," Prowl said, taking the ring out of the box. "I know there's a lot for you to take in, but...you're the most adaptable femme I know..."

"Just adaptable?" Emma teased, once she'd found her voice again. Her heart was beating a mile an hour.

Prowl chuckled, that chuckle that she just loved. "Well, that's one of your most endearing qualities, yes..." He picked up her left hand. "Think about it, okay?"

Emma looked at the ring, and her heart nearly stopped. It was her _dream _ring - white gold with a white diamond flanked by two argylepink diamonds! Emma nodded, numbly. "O-okay..."

Prowl slid the ring onto her finger, and then stood up. He leaned towards Emma, as she leaned towards him, and the two of them shared a kiss. "By the way, Em," Prowl whispered to her. "Happy Birthday."

Emma smiled, and touched her left hand to the side of his face. "Thank you, Prowler." The light from the moon caught the ring on her finger, and glittered. "Come on, let's get back tomy party...everybody will want to know about Aquilla and Audrey..."

Prowl smiled, and took her hand. They walked back inside, hand-in-hand.

They didn't know it, but somebody was watching them, something with red eyes and razor-sharp fangs.

"Master Fhantom will want to know about this..." The creature hissed, before returning to the shadows...


	22. Little Flower

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Magical Princess – hopefully, she tells them soon…and, yes Prowl _did_…sort of… ^_^

WingBladeWeaver1357 – thanks, I like the names, too! XD

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Little Flower

* * *

Emma got a sense of pride every time she went out now, because people would always comment on the twins. Since announcing their names at her twenty-third, everybody had started calling them by the names, and they seemed to suit them.

There was just one thing nobody, not even Isaac, had counted on – the twins' growth-rate. They were progressing differently from normal children, and even differently from Sari. Everybody naturally assumed that it was due to their unique circumstances that differed from Sari's, but Emma and Prowl had another theory, which they kept to themselves. The combination of human DNA and Decepticon Code that the twins had absorbed upon their creation was probably a heavily providing factor to the reason that they, at two and a half weeks old, they looked – and acted –months old. It was an exciting and terrifying situation, all at the same time, and Emma; Prowl; Ratchet and Isaac spent many hours trying to figure out all the details, when Isaac wasn't busy helping Bulkhead try to repair the Space-Bridge so that they could contact Cybertron and tell them that their head of intel. was a Decepticon double-agent.

Meanwhile, Emma threw herself into Motherhood as best she could, and found that she loved it.

Aquilla was definitely the more dominant of the two, and appeared to have inherited much of Starscream's impatience and need to be the centre of attention. She was, however, clearly protective of her little sister, although tended to get jealous if nobody was paying attention to her when they paid attention to Audrey. She knew that crying would occasionally get her what she wanted but, despite all of her demanding ways, she was just as sweet and playful as any little child. Her purplish-pink hair had grown a few inches, and was often tied into a pair of plaited pigtails. She looked best in shades of purple and white, or so Sari and her friends (the Fashion Police) said. Emma had no idea, since fashion wasn't her forte, and she just decided to trust the twins' "Aunties".

Audrey was quieter than her sister, and preferred to wait for what she wanted rather than demand it. She could sleep through just about anything, and did _not_ like being woken up before she was ready. She was a little bit shy around strangers, but always happy to be around those that she knew. She tended to be clingy at times, but also seemed to be watching the world with a curious gaze. Her reddish-pink hair had grown at the same rate as her sister's, which Emma preferred to tie up into a single plaited ponytail. When the Fashion Police were through with her, Audrey was almost always wearing light pink and black.

Both the girls were comfortable around robots, having known them since the first day of their lives, and were not at all fazed when an Autobot would go from holoform to robot to vehicle. They were used to being held gently in the giant claw of Bulkhead's, or sitting on the couch with Bumblebee watching cartoons but, out of all of the Autobots, they seemed to prefer Prowl the best. They loved everyone of their Mother's friends, but Prowl; Ratchet and Sari appeared to be their favourites. They had also learned that Scuz-Bag was adorable, but _spiky_. They had learned to be careful.

Of course, they _adored_ their Mother and, although Emma was concerned with their rapid growth-rate, she couldn't help but be thrilled that, when they started walking at the age of just one month. Not only that, but they started following her around, as well, almost everywhere she went.

"Isn't it stifling to have somebody _cling_ to you all day?" Bumblebee asked at one point, as Emma walked across the main room of the base, and the twins followed her like baby ducklings.

Emma suddenly turned around, and exclaimed: "Aww, I _love_ you two!" She hugged both the twins fiercely.

"Emma seems to enjoy it." Prowl smiled. They hadn't told anybody else about Prowl's proposal, yet – they had decided to wait until the whole war-thing was over and Emma could firmly make up her mind, before announcing their plans to the rest of the world.

The twins both hugged their Mother back, before looking up at her with their dark orange eyes. "Mamma, we love you, too." They said, in perfect unison. They had the same clear, high soprano as their Mother.

Emma paled visibly, and Prowl and Bumblebee exchanged a glance.

* * *

"I…do _not _know what to do." Emma admitted, sitting on a swing at the park, as Aquilla and Audrey played with Scuz-Bag in the sand-pit. Sari; Miko and Flora were with her, and Prowl and Bulkhead were parked on the street nearby, in case of danger. Nobody wanted to take any chances where the twins were concerned. "Isaac told me that Sari didn't age like this, so…what does it mean?"

"Maybe it's because of the All-Spark?" Miko suggested, hanging from her knees from the top of the swing-set. "Maybe it'll make them, like, immortal, or something?" She gasped. "Hey, maybe that means that _you're_ immortal too, Emma!"

"Eek…" Emma thought about that. "Maybe…that's kinda weird, though…"

"Oh, and ageing eight years in thirty seconds _isn't_?" Miko teased.

"Hey!" Sari protested. "I did what I had to do…even though I nearly took my best friend offline…" She looked ashamed.

"But, Bee forgave you, didn't he?" Emma questioned.

Sari nodded. "Yeah…he seems to forgive me pretty much _everything_ I do wrong…" She admitted.

"Maybe he _likes_ you?" Miko grinned.

Sari blushed brilliantly. "No way!" She shook her head. "Bee and I are just friends." She eyed Miko. "But, what about you and _Bulkhead_?" She questioned, and watched in satisfaction as it was Miko's turn to blush.

The Japanese girl glanced quickly out at the street, where the green armoured-truck was parked, and blushed even more.

To save the situation from turning into a blushing contest, Emma turned to Sari and said: "Hey, Sari, you've got a birthday coming up – what should we do?"

"Oh, just as long as it's the best day of my life, but no pressure." Sari shrugged.

"A Sweet Sixteen _is_ kinda a big deal in America." Miko looked over at Flora. "Right?"

"Huh?" Flora blinked her amber eyes, and then nodded. "Yeah, it's a…big deal, alright…" She sighed.

The others looked at her. Miko, whose face was starting to turn red, flipped down and landed neatly on the dirt next to her friend. "What's up, Flo?" She wanted to know.

Flora clenched her fists. "It's my Dad!" She exclaimed. "He's still treating me like a little kid, and he thinks that I don't care about what happens to this city the way he does! Of _course_ I care, Detroit is my _home_!" Her shoulders slumped. "He won't even let me go out on patrol with him…"

"All parents worry about their kids, Flora," Emma said, gently. "Why do you think Sari's Dad kept her shut away all those years? To _protect_ her…"

"You make it sound like she's _Rupenzal_ or something…" Miko raised an eyebrow, as Sari gave Emma a Look.

Emma sighed. "Look, the point is, parents don't get over that – heck, mine _still_ treated me like a little kid half the time, but it's better than the alternative. You'll get your chance."

"Yeah, maybe…" Flora sighed. There was more to her depression than just the arguments she'd been having with her Dad, but she wasn't about to tell the others that…

* * *

Flora walked home by herself that afternoon. Miko and Bulkhead had decided to go to Burger Bot for a bite to eat before heading home, and Prowl had taken Sari back to her home. Emma had been picked up by Sai for a martial arts lesson, and had taken her twins and her echidna with her.

This left Flora to walk and think, and think she did.

Flora was around the same height as Sari, and always wore her sandy-blonde hair in the same four pigtails. Today she was wearing her uniform from boarding school – black stockings and a pleated dark blue and maroon plaid skirt; a white short-sleeved shirt and a blue vest. Flora kind of missed England, but she was glad to be home…if only her Father would realise that she wasn't a kid anymore!

Why was it so easy for Sari, and for Isaac to accept that she was a teenager? Flora had become good friends with Sari, and had helped her to understand all of the things that came with being a teenager, but sometimes it annoyed her that things seemed to fall so easy for Sari. From what Flora could understand, Sari was fairly important to the Autobots, too. They were always happy to be around her and, whilst they seemed to like Flora too, something was missing…

It hadn't taken Flora long to figure out what that something was, and she had cursed herself for even thinking it but, since that Affection Contest she had hosted, she hadn't been able to get it out of her mind.

Emma had Prowl. Miko seemed to have Bulkhead. And, Flora was a mushroom if Sari _didn't_ have Bumblebee.

Flora wasn't sure what it was. She didn't want to be like Charlie and her gang, throwing themselves at the Autobots just because they were famous and lived an exciting life.

No…Flora thought…there was something _else_ going on here, something that she didn't quite understand yet…

Flora was so busy thinking, that she stepped out onto the road without looking, and didn't notice the green Chevrolet until it was nearly on top of her.

Flora screamed, and threw her hands up to protect herself, knowing that the action was going to do little to save her, now. Suddenly, she heard the screeching of breaks, followed by the telltale sound of metal moving, and…a huge crash.

Flora dared to open her eyes, and turned to see a dark green Transformer picking himself up off the pavement, groaning.

"Ooh, Wasp not do that again…" He groaned, rubbing the side of his head.

Flora stared at him for a moment, before her nature kicked in, and she said: "Damn straight you won't – you nearly hit the police chief's daughter, Mister!"  
The green bot turned, and stared curiously at her, with brilliant violet optics that took Flora by surprise. Weren't Transformers only meant to have blue or red ones? Was this a colour halfway in between?

Flora checked and, sure enough, this bot wore no faction symbol. A neutral?

Flora would have continued to stare at him, had she not been Captain Fanzone's daughter. Crossing her arms, Flora stated: "You were in direct violation of code 204 – failing to stop upon seeing a pedestrian. Let's not mention the fact that I am a daughter of an officer of the law."

The green Transformer gave her an incredulous look, and then he looked apologetic. "Wasp sorry. Wasp not been on planet very long, so Wasp not know rules."

Flora tilted her head to one side. "Oh. When did you get here?" She wanted to know.

"Wasp get here yester-solar cycle." Wasp replied.

Flora had spent enough time around the Autobots to know that Wasp meant he'd arrived here yesterday. She studied him for a moment, before asking him: "So…are you an…Autobot?"

Wasp sighed. Why did she have to ask _that_, of all questions. Wasp shook his head. "Wasp was once Autobot, but no longer…"

Flora tensed. "So then…you're a Decepticon?" She asked, tightly.

Wasp shook his head, again. "No. Wasp not Autobot _or_ Decepticon. Other bots _think_ Wasp Decepticon, but Wasp not do anything wrong – Wasp _framed_!"

Flora looked at him. "What? The Autobots would never do that!"

"Organic not know what Autobots _really_ like." Wasp said, sounding cold. "Wasp _fugitive_ because Autobots not believe Wasp's side of story."

Flora thought about this for a moment. Now, common sense told her that she should be asking what the clearly vengeful bot was doing here on earth, but first she had to get one thing straight. "My name is not _organic_ – it's Flora."

Wasp looked at her for a moment, before saying, quietly: "Flora?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm. So…will you tell it to?"

"Tell Flora-Bot what?"

_Flora-Bot?_ "Tell me your side…of the story…"

Wasp was startled. Nobody had _ever_ asked for _his_ side of the story before! Wasp nodded. "Well…"

"Wait, if you're a fugitive, then they know what you look like!" Flora interrupted him.

"Wasp not fugitive!" He retorted.

"Maybe not, but they're probably not going to take too kindly to your being here!" Flora told him. "Oh, I know!" She grinned, suddenly, and Wasp froze. "Don't you have a holoform, like the others?"

"Holo-form?" Wasp repeated. The phrase sounded foreign to him.

Flora nodded excitedly, making her pigtails bounce. "Yeah – a human form! The others can do it, so…?"

Wasp looked curiously at this young organic. She wasn't afraid of him, although he sensed a certain air of authority about her. Well, she _was_ the sparkling of some figure of authority on this planet – Wasp just hoped that she wouldn't try and turn him in. He'd had enough of that. This femme, however…there was something _about_ her, but…what was it?

* * *

Emma dodged out of the way of Sai's kick, before neatly blocking Victoria's punch. They were taking her through an advanced set today, one that she had been eager to try, but had put on hold when she'd been carrying the twins.

Now, however, she was moving through it with more confidence than she'd _ever_ had before. If her parents and everybody _else_ that knew her could see her now, they'd be so surprised!

Emma was focused, and more concentrated too, thanks to Victoria's teachings. The ADD had never _once_ caused her to lose focus after she'd become a competent fighter, and she was starting to become fitter and stronger, physically, as well. Which was good, because carrying around two baby girls at once was not for the weak-muscled!

Emma listened to the sounds of Sai's and Victoria's footsteps, and focused with her mind, since she was blindfolded and all. It was like a sixth-sense and, according to Victoria, one that she'd always had. She just needed to remember it all…

In fact, Emma's hearing was _so_ acute, that she heard Aquilla whisper to her sister: "Mamma's so cool."

Audrey whispered back: "Maybe Uncle Prowl's better?"

"Nah." The twins said, in unison, and Emma had to smile. It felt nice to be appreciated.

* * *

Miko and Bulkhead walked back to Mama Fuyano's, sipping super-sized milkshakes and talking about art. Miko stopped, however, when she saw Flora sitting on a park-bench next to an unfamiliar boy about their age.

"Ooh, who's that?" Miko grinned. "I love his hair…"

Bulkhead glanced at Miko, feeling slightly stung, and then back up at the mysterious boy. He narrowed his blue eyes – why was there something _familiar_ about that guy?

The guy Flora was talking to had bright green hair with black zig-zag patterns through it, and it was in a cool and spiky-style. His eyes were violet. He wore blue jeans, a light green top and a dark green jacket with black stripes running down the sleeves.

Why did Bulkhead get the feeling that he _knew_ this guy?

Miko looked up at Bulkhead, excited. "Do you think that's her boyfriend?!" She asked.

"Uh…?" Bulkhead wasn't sure.

"Let's spy on them!" Miko suggested and, without waiting for an answer, she stealthily sprinted over to the park, and dived into the bushes behind where Flora and the strange boy were sitting.

Bulkhead, not about to get caught spying, decided to stay back and keep a watch out…

* * *

Emma suddenly put down her cup of tea, which she was enjoying in the tea room with Victoria and Sai, and said: "Where did the girls go?" She looked around, and saw the door to the room standing slightly ajar. "Slag!" She swore, and jumped up, rushing from the room with Victoria and Sai right behind her.

"Calm down, Emma," Victoria ordered her, firmly but gently. "The girls are part you, remember – you can hone in on them using the bond with your sparks."

Emma looked worried. "How do I do that?" _I can't believe I lost my kids, and in this house, of all places – it's a three-storey mansion!_ She felt panicked – were they okay? Were they in danger? Did they get outside?

"You can do it." Victoria reassured her. "Just close your eyes, young cyber-ninja, and _concentrate_…" She sounded _so_ much like Master Yoketron when she said that!

Emma nodded, and closed her eyes, trying to fight down the panic that she was feeling. _It'll be okay…it'll be okay…I'll find them, I just have to concentrate…_ She hummed slightly, feeling the familiar warm glow of her own spark. Presently, she became aware of the spark standing next to her – that was Sai's – and even of the heart-beat of Victoria's. She focused more and, soon, was able to detect the two sparks she had helped to create. Aquilla and Audrey were still in the house – they were in the attic, and Scuz was with them. They weren't hurt.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Emma opened her eyes, and turned to Victoria, whose grey eyes were sparkling. "They're in the attic. Let's go."

* * *

"So, Autobots not believe Wasp, even though Wasp not do anything wrong!" Wasp was fighting to keep his anger down. It wouldn't do any good to get angry at Flora – _she_ hadn't done anything, either! It was all Bumblebee's fault! "Wasp got thrown in stockade, where Wasp bullied and beaten and experimented on by Autobot scientists!"

Flora had to gasp, pressing a hand to her mouth. "Wasp, that's _terrible_! They convicted you even without a fair trial?"

Wasp nodded, glad somewhat that this Flora understood and agreed with him. He had only just met her, but…there was something _about_ her...something Wasp was willing to explore, but he had other things to do, first. "Wasp want revenge on Autobot that made Wasp's life living Pit!"

Flora's expression turned worried. "Which…Autobot is that?" She asked, looking up at him with concerned amber eyes. "Are you…sure you want to do this?"

Wasp was intrigued by those eyes – they looked like tiny twin flames, or…Wasp did a quick search of what the humans called the World Wide Web, and came up with something. "Hibiscus." He said, suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Flora looked confused.

"Flora-Bot have optics like hibiscus." Wasp explained, and then he looked away. "Well, Wasp think so…"

Flora blushed, which wasn't like her. _This not-Autobot, not-Decepticon just complimented me…albeit, it was a little bit random, but…is this what I was looking for?!_ Flora was confused. She was the police chief's daughter, and the law was important to her. Wasp wanted to break the law (whether that be Cybertronian law or earth law) by hurting the Autobot that had hurt him. Still…from the sounds of it, the law had not been kind to Wasp, and he was definitely innocent. Flora didn't know _how_ she knew it, just that she somehow _knew_ that Wasp was telling her the truth.

"Wasp…" Flora began when, just then, Wasp tensed, and a dark look came about his violet eyes. "Wasp?!" Flora repeated, urgently.

Wasp jumped up. "Autobots coming for Wasp – Wasp must go!" He quickly transformed back into a robot, and both of them heard a yell of shock from somewhere nearby. "But, Wasp see Flora-Bot again – Wasp enjoy time with Flora-Bot. Wasp find better way to compliment Flora-Bot." He added, and then he transformed and drove off, just as Bulkhead came crashing onto the scene.

"Yeah, you'd _better_ run, Wasp!" Bulkhead shouted, angrily, as Miko dragged herself out of the bushes and ran over to Flora. "Bulkhead to Prime, I've just spotted Wasp, he headed south from the park near Mama Fuyano's!"

Miko looked at Flora. "Are you okay?" She asked her friend.

Flora was frozen.

Bulkhead looked quickly down at Flora. "Flora? Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Flora snapped out of her trance. "What?! No, of _course_ he didn't! Wasp is innocent, he's not the traitor!" She glared up at him.

"We know that!" Bulkhead told her, startled by her glare. "We just need him to know that _we_ know, but Flora, you should know something about Wasp…"

"Like what?!" She snapped.

Bulkhead faltered.

Miko tried to help. "Bulky, don't be too hard on her. After all, this Wasp guy told her that…"

Flora suddenly clamped her hand over Miko's mouth, and hissed, so that only the Japanese girl would hear her: "_Don't. You. Dare._"

"_S-Sumimasen_…" Miko stammered, once she was able to speak, again.

Flora looked up at Bulkhead. "I can see things from Wasp's point of view, but there's something I don't agree with, and that's the fact that he's sworn revenge on the Autobot that did this to him!" She shook her head. "Which, doesn't make any sense, since _clearly_ it's the fault of the _real_ double-agent, but Wasp must not have known his identity, and the only face he could put to his anger was the face of the Autobot that…hey, Bulkhead, what's wrong?" Flora gasped. "It's not you, is it?!"

Bulkhead shook his head. "No…worse…"

"What could be worse?" Miko asked, and then she gasped, as well, realisation dawning on her face. "_Bumblebee_…"

* * *

Victoria's attic was one of the most amazing places the twins had ever seen. It had a triangle roof, and it was _huge_ – the twins both agreed that Aunty Vicky's house was the _coolest_! They placed Scuz down on a huge treasure-chest, and ran around the attic, exclaiming over everything and just generally doing what any child set free in a huge attic filled with stuff would do.

There were things from Victoria's childhood, growing up in Japan. There were kimonos and fans and Japanese dolls and Japanese books. There were also things from all over the world, like big paintings and books and gems. There were crystal lamps and beautiful tiaras and all sorts of exotic clothes and figurines and masks.

Audrey stooped down to pick something up – it was a beautiful crescent moon that fit into the palm of her hand, and it was solid silver (not that she knew that). It had a blue jewel on it, like an eye, and a pair of painted red lips. A small loop on the top was where the chain would have gone. Audrey turned the necklace over, but couldn't read what was written there. It wasn't a language that she was familiar with (granted, English; Japanese and Cybertronian were the only languages that she and her sister were familiar with, but that was more than most people on this planet learned in a _lifetime_).

_Audrey, look!_ Aquilla called, through their link, and Audrey turned to see her sister wearing a huge African tribal-mask.

Audrey gasped, and then glared. _Not funny, Aquilla!_

Aquilla giggled in a way that meant that she _did_ find it funny, but then had to run, as Audrey picked up a nearby Japanese fan and chased after her with it. Both of them were giggling, as they ran through the aisles of antiques.

_Hey, look!_ Aquilla pointed, coming across an item of interest. It was a small, child-sized cape that looked like a prince or princess would wear it. _Audrey, try this on!_ Aquilla suggested, and draped the cloak over her sister's shoulders. It was a bit too big for her, but neither of them minded, as Aquilla found a crown to go with the cape. The crown was probably made of real gold and all of those gems on it were possibly real, as well, but neither twin cared. Audrey giggled, twirling around like a princess as she swapped her fan for a sceptre that was, also, quite possibly real.

Aquilla picked up the fan, and then spotted a small child-sized dressing table with three mirrors that curved around it, offering a three-way view of one's face. Audrey spotted an array of make-up, and the twins took it in turns to do each others makeup, with Audrey's being a lot of blue eye-shadow; pink blush; and red lipstick. Aquilla's makeup was white powder all over her face; red lipstick and red eye-shadow. Audrey quickly found a pair of Japanese robes for her sister, and a parasol.

The twins admired each others costumes, and then found a full-length mirror, which they paraded in front of.

Scuz had wandered away from the treasure chest to find the twins, and ended up getting lost, until he found something strange, that laid forgotten underneath a dressing table from Peru. He sniffed at it – it smelt like the same power that had brought him back to life, and like his mistress. Something she and the others called an "All-Spark". The echidna was curious about the object and, as luck would have it, the twins found him, just then.

"Hey, there's Scuz." Audrey said, getting down on her hands and knees. "Whatcha got there, Scuzzy?"

Aquilla got down, too, and crawled towards Scuz, picking up the item he had found and backing out. Scuz waddled after her.

Aquilla and her sister examined the item, which turned out to be what looked like half of a solid gold sun, that fit into Aquilla's palm. It had wavy bronze prongs around the outside like sunbeams, and a ruby "eye". This sun also featured a pair of red painted lips, a loop for a chain, and unfamiliar writing.

Being amazingly clever and figuring things out, Audrey reached into the pocket of her dress, and pulled out the crescent moon, holding it up to the light.

Aquilla held hers up, too, and they moved them slowly together, until the lips touched and the two pendants connected with a spark of electricity. The sapphire and the ruby both glowed…

* * *

Emma froze at the foot of the attic stairs, as she sensed the Cybertronian energy. What followed next was an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, as the most beautiful and haunting music she had _ever_ heard filled her ears. It hit her so suddenly that she gasped, and grasped the railings of the staircase so hard that she left an indent there. Her other hand clutched at her chest where her heart beat painfully hard, and she was only dimly aware of the tears in her eyes, as the music swept her up into a vision…

* * *

Prowl, on the other side of the city, had sensed when Emma started panicking, and then sensed when she calmed down and began concentrating, and he knew that there was nothing _too_ serious to worry about. _Now_, however, as he cruised the streets with the others, looking for Wasp, he got such an overwhelming shock from his spark-partner that he slammed on the brakes and transformed, standing underneath a streetlight as he stared up at the sky, unable to do much else.

He was getting a thousand emotions from Emma, a sense of sadness and anguish, as well as nostalgia and…Prowl was a little bit shocked by this one, but there was a deep sense of _pride_, and something else he couldn't quite grasp…a bond that she had long ago forgotten, but was now recalling…

Prowl understood why he was getting these feelings, as well…this was all about sharing a spark. You shared the good times, but you also shared the pain…it was all a part of it…

Prowl then heard what Emma was hearing – a beautiful melody, and one that he knew…Angel had hummed it before, on a few rare occasions! She'd said that her femme-creator had once hummed it to her, as a lullaby, when she was a sparkling.

Prowl didn't know _why_ they were hearing it now, but he sensed that, whatever the reason, it was causing a slight change in Emma…

* * *

The Elite Guard Flagship was on its way back to earth, to hunt down the Decepticon fugitive, Wasp. Jazz was chatting to Sentinel about their state of affairs (and, only half-listening to the arrogant Prime's complaints), when they received a transmission from Long-Arm Prime.

"Sentinel Prime!" Long-Arm sounded decidedly panicked. "What are you doing in the earth's sector?! Return to Cybertron immediately!"

"All do respect, Long-Arm," Sentinel raised an optic ridge. "You're the one who sent us to intercept the Decepticon double-agent Wasp."

"I don't care!" Long-Arm (aka, Shockwave) was firm. "I explicitly ordered all contact with earth to be filtered through me!" He straightened up. "As chief of Autobot intel., why was I not informed of this?!"

The screen then became a double-image, as another line of communication was opened up. Ultra Magnus, back on Cybertron, said: "My apologies, Long-Arm Prime. But, we didn't want to risk tipping Wasp off. Not when he can lead us straight to his Decepticon contact."

"He ain't heading for the 'Cons, sir," Jazz said suddenly, glancing down at the screen he had been monitoring whilst ignoring Sentinel. "Scans shows Wasp's on a bee-line for the Autobot's base."

"Has, Optimus Prime or any of his crew made contact with you?" Long-Arm asked, frowning.

"No one's heard word-one from any of those goof-bots in nearly a decacycle." Sentinel replied, rolling his optics.

"Course, it's kinda hard to get a signal through to earth with all this moisture in the atmo." Jazz jumped to Optimus' defence.

"I'm sure Optimus Prime and his bots are already on top of the situation." Ultra Magnus stated, confidently. "They won't allow any harm to come to the All-Spark, and its carrier."

Sentinel sighed. "I _still_ don't understand why you let that filthy organic keep a hold of those Fragments – sir." He added.

Ultra Magnus seemed about to answer, but then he caught sight of the look on Jazz's face. "Jazz? Is something the matter?"

Jazz had gone stock-still, and was staring straight ahead without really seeing anything. "I'm getting something…" He said, cryptically.

"The Autobots?" Long-Arm asked.

Jazz nodded. "Sort of…it's from Em…I can sense that she's…" Jazz offlined his optics. "She's got a _major_ nostalgia vibe going here, like she's remembering something…that tune…it's…" He started to hum along with the tune, despite the fact that three of his commanding officers were listening in.

Ultra Magnus was silent, listening to the familiarity of the melody. He knew, and now he knew how complete his suspicions were, about the human female known as Emma, and what she _really_ was.

Sentinel didn't know _what_ to think, and had _no_ idea what was going on!

Long-Arm/Shockwave, however, was as silent as Ultra Magnus, a deep ache in his chest-plates as his spark recalled the melody as well. He knew it well, not from the femme Angel, but from her older sister, Aqua.

Aqua had been his spark-partner, and not a stellar-cycle went by when he didn't miss the beautiful and mature aqua femme. She had been his life, and he _still_ couldn't quite believe that she was gone. It made him even _more_ determined to seek his revenge on the Autobots…they had not shown up to help…if they had, maybe, just _maybe_…the illogical would not have happened…

He cut off his side of the communications, then.

It was time to take matters into his _own_ servos…

* * *

Transwarping through space was the absolute _Pits_. It was bad enough that he was stuck in an endless Transwarp Cycle and he'd lost his body, but why did he have to be stuck with _Megatron_, of _all_ bots?!

Starscream was _not_ having a very good decacycle. The only good thing was that he had a laser now, and could fire upon Megatron (_charging my laser!_). The _bad_ thing was that, after the fifth time he had done that, Megatron had opted for a game of Kick The Dummy Down The Stairs, with them taking turns being the dummy – Starscream got to go first…

Then, they had Transwarped to Cybertron.

"Yes!" Starscream cried.

They Transwarped away!

"No!" Starscream cried, as they kept on Transwarping. "No! No! No!"

This was just _not_ his decacycle!

Also, what had happened to Angel? Was she okay? Starscream got the feeling that _something_ had happened, but he wasn't sure whether it was good or bad, yet…

Suddenly, as he lay at the bottom of the cargo brig, Starscream got an overwhelming sense of strength through the All-Spark Fragment that was keeping him online. It was so powerful that it stunned the Seeker, and suddenly, the most beautiful and haunting melody that he could _ever_ recall filled his senses. He knew that music, he would know it anywhere!

_An Angel's Lullaby_…

Starscream took a deep breath, maintaining what little composure a head had left. Thoughts of Angel flooded his mind, and also thoughts of the human form that she had decided to take.

Why, oh _why_ had she decided upon a _human_ form?! Still, Starscream had to admit, she _was_ just as pretty in that form as she had been in her Teraminian form. Her optics were still the same, still clear and full of energy and mischief. For her, Starscream would do pretty much _anything_! He _had_ to, because she had been the first femme to _ever_ treat him the way she had…

Starscream had been used to femmes back on Cybertron falling all over him, complimenting him on his good looks and on his noble chin. He had grown to expect it and, so, when he'd met Angel on that very fateful solar-cycle, he'd expected the same from her.

He hadn't actually known her identity at that point, and had started off by shamelessly flirting with the cute little silver femme.

She had appeared at first confused, and then annoyed by him, and finally had yelled at him, saying that she wouldn't be caught offline with a shameless mech like him!

Starscream had been shocked, to say the least, and then he'd gotten angry. "Do you have any idea who I am, you pathetic little femme?!" He'd yelled at her.

She'd yelled right back at him! "Perhaps it is _you_ that does not know who _I_ am!"

"I'm Starscream, second-in-command of the Cybertronian Ambassadors!" Starscream had fairly shrieked.

"I am Angel, youngest daughter of Queen Alythia and Prince Leontide!" She had shrieked as well, at the exact same time.

They'd then stopped and stared at each other, with her standing on a platform so that she was optic-to-optic with him.

"An Ambassador?" Angel had repeated, staring incredulously at him.

"A Princess?" Starscream hadn't been able to believe it.

They'd continued to stare at each other for the longest time, neither of them knowing quite what to do after that but, from that solar-cycle forwards, they had almost _always_ been together when he'd visited her planet, and everybody began to notice it, especially Angel's two older sisters, whom each had a spark-mate of their own. Everybody got used to seeing Aqua with Shockwave; Audacity with Blitzwing; and _especially_ little Angel with Starscream. The Queen and Prince were very, very happy, and so was everybody, for that matter…

It was hard to believe that that happiness could have been ended so abruptly, and so violently…

Starscream sighed. "For you, my dearest Angel, my spark-partner, I _will_ avenge them…_all_ of them…I will get you back what you so greatly deserved, my Princess…"

* * *

_An Angel's Lullaby_ sounds like a good mix of all these sorts of things, this is the feel from them:

* * *

Tales Of Destiny: Sadness – watch?v=OJlV5jp-PiI _(sadness)_

Bella's Lullaby – watch?v=IoBoeg-oyBA _(nostalgia/power)_

Sailor Moon's Star Locket - watch?v=wR3sXwPlfic _(beauty)_

Alan's (Original) Flute Theme - watch?v=5uUZTIGBAlA _(a memory of the rolling hills of Teramina/mystery)_


	23. Of Poison And Of Hot-Dogs

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level sexual references (just at the beginning here)

. Adult themes

. Low level implied drug references and usage

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Magical Princess - Emma's got a few decisions to make, hasn't she...?

ZabuzasGirl - here's the update! :)

ringo-tensai - now you can start piecing together some of the puzzle-pieces of Angel's life! Yes, the marriage proposal _was_ unexpected, I think...

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Of Poison And Of Hot-Dogs

* * *

From the darkness of his castle home, billions of lightyears across the galaxy, the Vampire Lord Fhantom watched the happenings back on this particular Earth through his enchanted mirror. He could in fact watch anywhere in the galaxy, anybody and anything, but his favourite thing to watch was whatever the being known sometimes as Emma, and sometimes as Angel, was doing. He had watched her ever since he had located her on her new home in the galaxy, on the other planet Earth. That had been twenty-three years ago, and he had almost never taken his optics off of her since then.

Fhantom's dark desires had become a smouldering obsession, centered around the All-Spark and its female carrier. Fhantom had originally coveted just the All-Spark back in the days when Teramina was still a planet but, to his own surprise, his attention had steadily shifted to power's holder, still just a youngling at the time. Angel had been a femme full of fire and spark, and her reincarnation was _exactly_ the same. Suddenly, Fhantom longed to touch her fine skin again, and his fangs itched to sink into the delicate skin around her neck - the need to have her was vicious, and it surprised him that he was looking forward to capturing the femme more than obtaining the All-Spark. Emma, unknowingly, was doing him a favour, by gathering all of the pieces of the All-Spark. Perhaps Fhantom would even let the femme's precious Cybertronian family live, so that he could revel in the turmoil it would cause them to know that they had helped Fhantom to succeed. The existence of those twins was unexpected, but could be used to his advantage. He could always use more soldiers...

Fhantom just needed to be patient, and patience was one thing he had a lot of - after all, he had been waiting for over a million stellar cycles to get what he wanted and, once he had the Princess forever by his side, nothing would be able to stop him!

There were just a few things standing in his way, namely that persistent black cyber-ninja! Fhantom had not been watching when it had happened, but one of his underlings had reported back that the cyber-ninja had asked for the Princess' hand in marriage! She now wore the ring on her finger, and Fhantom had watched in disdain and silent anger as she became happier over time. He would growl softly as she kissed the lips of the cyber-ninja, and Fhantom knew then and there that Prowl would be the first to die...

Soon...very soon...

* * *

It started raining early that morning, and continued to rain all through the evening. At four in the afternoon, Captain Fanzone contacted Optimus to say that Flora had gone missing. Optimus reassured Fanzone that his daughter would be found, and then called all of the Autobots - plus Emma - into the meetings room (that had once been the Battle-Ship's Room) to discuss this.

Emma left the twins on the couch, eating donuts for dessert and watching this world's version of _Sailor Moon_/_Lady Lovely Locks_. She sat next to Prowl and listened to the report that Optimus gave, and then Bulkhead added to that.

"I'm worried about Wasp's state of processor, as well as the impact he might have on Flora if, indeed, they are together." Optimus said. "From what I can gather, Wasp may be mentally unstable right now."

"Uh, hello, he has _always_ been unstable!" Bumblebee pointed out.

"Oh, Bumblebee, I'm sure that's not true." Emma admonished him.

He stared at her with his bright blue optics. "No? Tell me, does tearing off somebot's stabilizing-servos and stuffing said somebot in a closet sound _stable_, to you?"

Emma stared right back at him. "You think _that's_ bad? You should see what goes on in high-school change rooms." She replied.

Bumblebee shook his head. "_No_ thank you - I've seen _plenty_ of human movies on the subject and, all I can say is, I'm glad that Sari's not going to high school!"

* * *

"Please, Dad?! Please oh please oh please oh please oh PUH-LEASE?!" Sari clasped her hands out dramatically in front of her.

Isaac looked at his daughter, then glanced at the documents and papers that told about the school that Flora and Miko were currently attending, and then finally turned his gaze to the receptionist.

She shrugged.

Isaac sighed. "We will see, Sari." he replied, tiredly.

"YES!"

* * *

At about seven o'clock, the _real_ storm began. A bolt of lightning lit up the sky followed by a boom of thunder and, a second later, two high-pitched wails were heard from within the base. Emma was on her feet in an instant, and rushing down the hallway. She entered the twins' room, and found them both standing up in their cots, crying.

A reassuring smile appeared on Emma's face, as she sensed the fear and confusion coming from both her girls. This was their first ever storm - it was no wonder they were terrified.

Grabbing some blankets from nearby, Emma picked up both Aquilla and Audrey, and sat with them on the floor. As another flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a crack of thunder, both the twins yelped. Audrey buried her face in her Mother's chest, and Aquilla tried to hide under the blankets.

"It's scary, Mummy, make it stop!" Audrey begged.

"It's nothing to be scared of, my dears." Emma said soothingly, adjusting Audrey's pink nightgown and uncovering Aquilla from the blankets before she suffocated herself by mistake.

Both the girls looked up at her with their orange, tear-filled eyes. "It's not?" They asked, in unison.

Emma shook her head. "No, it's not. Look, I know it's loud and scary, but it can't ever hurt you. That's what my Dad told me." It was absolutely true, and one of the things she loved about her Father. "He taught me to never be afraid, and that's what I'll teach to you girls." She gathered them both to her, and began to sing _Lullaby For A Stormy Night_, her clear voice lifting high over the sounds of the storm outside. Halfway through the song, both the girls fell asleep and, not long after that, so did Emma...

* * *

_Nine Years Ago..._

_Emma didn't know _why_ she bothered, standing around with other people at lunch-time. She should just go to the library, and bury herself away from all the scrutinizing eyes that seemed to be staring at her. She was about to do this (as soon as she finished her ice-cream) when a voice from behind her said: "Hello." With a definite English-accent._

_Emma turned to see a girl around her own height standing there, smiling in a friendly way. This girl had short golden-blonde hair and inquisitive golden-green eyes._

_"H-hello." Emma stammered, nervously._

_"My name's Sara, what's yours?"_

_"E-Emma..."_

_"It's nice to meet you." The smile never once left the face of the tanned girl. "Why are you standing here all by yourself?"_

_Emma looked around, to realise that the other kids in her year had just wandered away from her. Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, um, I..."_

_"Well, never mind, you can hang around with me!" Sara put an arm around Emma's shoulders. "I'm new - I'm in year nine, what year are you in?"_

_"Year ten." Emma replied, wondering why on _Earth_ this Sara girl was talking to her. This had never happened before. She decided to be brave. "Wh-where did you move from?" She asked._

_"Oh, we moved from England a year ago, but my brother and I went to a different school before coming here." Sara replied._

_"Oh, you have a brother?"_

_Sara nodded. "Yeah, he's over there." She pointed to where a boy with curly reddish-brown hair and freckles was talking to a group of guys on the steps of the library. "His name's Ian."_

_"How old is he?"_

_"We're twins."_

_"Oh, cool." Emma said, glancing aside again. "So, uh..." She wondered what to say next._

_"Your ice-cream's melting." Sara pointed out._

_"Yaurgh!" Emma yelped, and Sara giggled._

* * *

_Sara sought Emma out each and every recess and lunch-time, which was a brand new experience for Emma since starting high-school. Sara loved to talk and, pretty soon, she brought Emma out of her shell, too._

_They discovered that they had an awful lot in common - they both loved anime, and they both loved reading and horses and animals. They were both short (Sara measured them and found out that they were both the same height) and they had both had two operations - Emma had had an appendectomy and her thyroid removed because it had turned cancerous, and Sara had also had an appendectomy as well as open-heart surgery - and they both had scars. They both loved to draw, and to write._

_Sara, once finding out that Emma had never been on a horse before, invited her over one Saturday, after revealing to Emma that her family owned two horses. Emma, whom had loved horses since she was eight, was _ecstatic_, and could hardly sleep the night before. She had stayed over at her Grandmother's which, unbeknownst to her, was the last time that she ever would. Her Nanna, Hazel, was getting sicker and sicker from a melanoma, which was spreading rapidly throughout her body. On this day, however, Emma didn't even want to think about it._

_Her Mum, Lee, took her to Sara's. Sara lived in a _massive_ house on five acres, which had God knows how many rooms and a fountain out the front, as well as a pool and tennis courts. Emma met Sara's parents - Al was big and cheerful, and Jan was short and spunky. They told Emma to call them by their first names. Sara had lots of pets - three dogs; two cats; eight chickens; goldfish (in that fountain) and, of course, her horses._

_Toby was a grey gelding, and Chiv was a cream buckskin gelding. Since Chiv was for more advanced riders, Emma watched in anticipation as Sara and Jan tacked up Toby and, before she knew what was happening, Emma had a helmet on her head and was in the saddle._

_She learned how to make Toby walk and stop, and how to change directions. Once in the arena, Jan even unclipped the lead rope, and Emma was riding, _really_ riding, for the first time in her life, and...she loved it!_

* * *

_Sara invited Emma around to her house a lot after that, and they spent a lot of time together in school, as well. At Sara's, Emma met other members of Sara's family when they visited from overseas, and became more confident with her riding. She was even confident enough to go riding with Sara at a place nearby, where a lady charged thirty dollars to ride one of her ponies for three hours. The lady's name was Heather, and she had seven ponies - Muffy; Pippin; Cobber; Popcorn; Brindabella; Topaz and .P.J.. (Pippin; Cobber and Brindabella were Muffy's offspring and half-siblings, each from different sires, and Popcorn was Brindabella's half-sister from a different dam - Emma thought that was cool)._

_Emma fell in love with the smart and gentle black Brumby, Muffy, but watched jealously as Sara was allowed to canter on the palomino Welsh mare, Topaz. However, Heather was also an expert in carriage driving and, with Muffy's lead rope draped over the back of Popcorn's carriage, Emma was allowed to trot, and she clung to the saddle as she bounced up and down - it would take her a long while to learn the rising trot._

_In the public arena, Emma was allowed off the lead rope, and she was even allowed to trot, although she continued to cling to the saddle. When she rode Pippin, she wasn't as happy, since Pippin was more stubborn than her Mother. Emma enjoyed riding the blue-eyed cremello Popcorn (a mare with attitude) but mostly she enjoyed learning how to carriage-drive with said mare. She rode Muffy bareback, and even rode Cobber with a side-saddle. She felt in-control of something in her life and, even though it had been by accident, she had even _cantered_. The rolling feeling of the three-beat gait, and the exhilaration (as well as the fear!) made her feel _alive_, and _free_..._

_And, of course, she continued to ride Toby over at Sara's, and loved talking to Sara about the horses that were now a huge part of her life. She was starting to enjoy school even more, and couldn't remember _ever_ feeling this excited about year ten!_

_All of this was a welcome distraction from what was going on at home - the doctors had just told her Nanna that she had under six months to live, and Hazel was getting sicker and sicker. She was going through chemotherapy, and it also scared Emma when people began talking about wills and money. Pretty soon, Hazel could hardly get out of bed._

_Then, a week before Christmas, it happened._

_Hazel and her eldest daughter, the intellectually-handicapped Cheryl, were staying at the Paradiso's house along with their dog, Josie (Emma _loved_ Josie, and the feeling was mutual, although the white West Highland Terrier was a real _bitch_ towards everybody else, except for her owners)._

_Everybody was keeping a close eye on Sarah - the last time Hazel had gotten sick (which was around the same time Emma had been released from the hospital after her thyroid removal), Sarah had stopped eating and cut herself. But, nobody expected more blood to be involved, this time with their eldest family member..._

_Hazel said that she wasn't feeling well...and then she threw up. But, what she threw up was black and sticky, and looked like coffee that had been left outside for three days._

_It was blood._

_Everybody was instantly thrown into worry, and Lee did the only thing for her Mother that she could do - she rang an ambulance, which came and took Hazel to Fremantle's emergency ward._

_What a Christmas._

* * *

_To distract herself from all of this, Emma phoned Sara up every day, and asked her about Toby, and talked to her about Muffy and the others, too._

_Sara was patient, but a few times she snapped at Emma. She apologized afterwards, however, and told Emma to ring her if she ever needed her. She also said that they should talk about other things, and when was Emma inviting her over?_

_Emma assured Sara that she _would_, but that things were really messy at her house at that moment...even though Hazel had moved in with her middle-child, Beverly, everybody was still very tense. Emma _wished_ that she could go over to Sara's, and ride Toby and sit on the trampoline with Sara and discuss anime and boys, but she wasn't able to get away from home._

* * *

_Lee _did_ let Emma go to Krystal's house on the tenth of January, however, because it was Krystal's sixteenth birthday party and Lee loved Krystal (she wasn't so keen on Sara, and kept on calling her 'Zara', much to Emma's annoyance)._

_Emma had a great time at Krystal's, it was the perfect distraction and a lot of fun. Their childhood friends Mayling and Kimberly were there, and so was Krystal's oldest friend, Brooke, and two of Krystal's friends from high-school, Amanda and, ironically, another Emma. Emma (Paradiso) wondered if she should introduce Sara to her old friends, too. They played in the pool, and had a barbecue for tea, and played a board-game that Krystal had made. Krystal _screamed_ when she opened the gift from Emma - a copy of her all-time favourite movie, _The Little Mermaid_, which she had longed to own for years!_

_They had ice-cream with M&M's for dessert (Emma's favourite) and everybody was disappointed when nine o'clock came around, and it was time to go._

_In the car on the way home, Emma mentioned to her Dad that she thought Lee was supposed to pick her up._

_"Mum and Sarah have gone to Aunty Bev's," Bruce said. "Nanna's not feeling too well."_

_"Oh..." Emma wasn't _too_ worried, after all, Nanna was _always_ getting sick._

_Emma and Sarah had visited their Nanna that very morning (Sarah had just gotten her license, and loved it). Emma had wanted to ask Hazel about the bracelet that she had been promised (Sarah already had hers) but decided not to, since Hazel seemed too tired. Her voice was slurry, and she could hardly be understood._

_As she considered this when at home, Emma began to feel worried, especially when her Mother kept on calling. Emma tried to distract herself by listening to her MP3 Player, and parading around in front of Sarah's full-length mirror._

_Finally, at twelve o'clock, Emma decided to go to bed, since Dad was already in bed. She put on her pajamas, and got into bed. Five minutes later, the phone rang. Emma was positive that it was her Mother, again, and that she would be saying that she and Sarah were coming home._

_Dad hung up the phone two seconds later, and Emma sprang out of her bed like it was on fire. She hurried out into the hallway, just as Bruce came out of the bedroom._

_"Dad...?"_

_"Emma, you have to go and get dressed now - Nanna's just died."_

* * *

_How? How could Nanna be dead? The same Nanna that had called her 'little lamb', and taken them all to Bali? The same Nanna Emma had had sleep-overs with, and cried with during her Step-Grandfather's death? The same Nanna that had spoilt her, and taken her to the markets, and bought chewing gum for her even when Mum and Dad had said no? The same Nanna that put the two-minute noodles into the water _before_ it had boiled, and that had once served her lasagna with a piece of plastic in it? The same Nanna that had held her close when she'd sobbed after having fights with her Mum, and had walked through the shops holding her hand even a year ago, and had knitted blankets and pajamas for her...how could she be dead? Why had the cancer taken her?_

_Out the front and away from the sob-fest going inside at Aunty Bev's (Sarah, whom had only ever shed a tear _once_ in her life before, was now in tears, much to Emma's horror), Emma rang Sara and, lo and behold, Sara was asleep. Jan answered the phone, however, and was calming and soothing, saying that even though people argue with their Mothers, their Mothers love them dearly, and understand them the best. What that had to do with anything, Emma wasn't quite sure, but the cold air was making her shiver._

* * *

_Things changed rapidly, for every party involved. The funeral was a week later, and nobody really knew how to say goodbye, least of all Lee. Cheryl was to be taken care of by Lee and Bruce, which became too much for them, and nearly destroyed them. Emma helped, but Sarah began to distance herself. In the end, they moved Cheryl into a group home, but it took them two years. Lee and Bruce had to go on anti-depressants, and Emma's grades slipped. The only reasons she passed were because, one, her Father did half of her assignments for her and, two, she was put onto a drug to help her manage her Attention Deficit Disorder, but it became something that she enjoyed too much, and nearly destroyed _her_. In the end, she swore to never touch the drugs, ever again..._

_Before that, however, things changed between Sara and Emma. Sara began to distance herself, as well and, eventually, she told Emma that she thought that Emma was only using her to be able to ride horses, and that all she ever talked about was horses. Upset and a loner once more, Emma withdrew and realised that, out of _all_ the kids in her school that she knew, maybe only three of them were nice to her? Her teachers were making it hard for her, as well, save for one really nice teacher that she had for S&E..._

_Emma was looking at the little pamphlets that had been handed out at Hazel's funeral, a couple of months later, when her music teacher came up and demanded to know why she was taking so long with the computer. Emma showed her the picture, and the teacher said that the death was months ago and that she should be over it by now._

_That same teacher would go on to become one of Emma's two least favourite teachers, along with her cooking teacher._

_It was then that Emma began to listen to heavy metal, and defy her parents and teachers. She didn't know how to make new friends, and didn't trust them, anyway. Kimberly ended up ditching her, so it was just her and Krystal and Mayling but, even then, Emma wasn't sure just how much she could tell them...how do you tell your two best friends that you hate your life?_

* * *

Emma awoke with a start, as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. She looked around in a shock, her heart beating wildly, as she tried to figure out where _that_ dream had come from.

What had woken her up?

That was when she saw her temporary mobile-phone lit up in her pocket, and she hurried to answer it.

"Hello?" She asked, quietly, not wanting to wake up the twins.

"Hello, Emma, it's me, Flora," Flora said, in a rush. "Listen, can you come and get me, I'm afraid I've just done something terrible!"

"Flora, hang on, where are you?" Emma was concerned by the panic in Flora's voice.

"On the corner of Redwall and Floreat!" Flora replied. "Near that hot-dog bot that's _always_ here - hurry, and don't tell the Autobots I rang!"

"Don't what...? Flora?!" Emma stared at the phone in her hand as Flora hung up on her, and then she sighed. What should she do? Flora's location wasn't too far from here - she'd just take a short-cut through Swamp and come out onto Redwall.

She carefully transferred both of the twins to the floor, tucking the blankets around them carefully, before she hurried to her own room and grabbed a wet-weather jacket. She dashed out of her room, and past Bumblebee, sitting on the couch playing a fighting video-game.

"What's the rush?!" Bumblebee called to her, his blue optics curious.

Emma stopped at the garage door as she waited for it to open, and put on her jacket as she glanced over at Bumblebee. Should she tell him?

She decided to just tell him where she was going, and did so, before sprinting out into the rain.

"Oh...kaaay..." Bumblebee shrugged, and continued to play his video games, until Optimus came over and scolded him.

* * *

It was easy for Emma to spot Flora in the rain, since her blonde hair and red-dress stood out amidst the grey. As she reached her, it suddenly stopped raining.

"Flora, what's the problem?" Emma asked, hurrying over to her.

"Oh, Emma, I think I've just done something _terrible_!" Flora cried, not moving from her spot on the side of the road.

"Hot dog?" The vendor offered.

"A double-dog with mustard and onions on a sesame seed bun." Flora said immediately.

"A small-dog with extra tomato sauce." Emma added. "I mean, ketchup."

They sat down side-by-side.

"I can't believe I did what I did!" Flora exclaimed, before taking a big bite out of her hot-dog and swallowing quickly. "I was so _stupid_!"

Emma waited patiently, eating the sausage part of her hot-dog first.

Flora sighed. "Yesterday, I met this bot named Wasp - he nearly ran me over, but I managed to forgive him." Emma smiled, slightly. "He told me how the Autobots framed him for being a double-agent, and then Bulkhead tried to attack him."

Emma nodded. "Go on..."

"But, you know, the strangest part was, that I _believed_ what wasp was trying to tell me," Flora blushed. "And, not just because he told me that my eyes looked like hibiscuses."

_Ahhhh..._ Emma thought, smiling a _lot_, now. She should have known...

"So, despite Bulkhead's warnings, I snuck out today and, well...I kind of spent the day with Wasp..." Flora admitted. "We went to the park, and we saw a movie, and we got ice-cream. It was..._nice_. But, then, I had to go and spoil it all...I...I told him where the Autobots Base was..."

Emma contained her gasp. She finished the tomato-sauce-covered bread in her hands quickly, and stared wide-eyed at Flora. "Oh Flora, that's..."

"I know, I _know_, I'm an idiot, right?" Flora groaned. "It's just...Wasp is nicer to me than any guy ever _has_ been - any human guy, anyways..."

"I know how _that_ feels." Emma nodded.

"I mean, that's why I say I hate humans," Flora shrugged, like it was normal to hate ones own species. "But, who would've guessed that I'd fall in love with a robot, just like you and Sari and Miko did..." She finished her hot-dog, and looked down at the road.

It was Emma's turn to blush, and she twisted the ring on her left ring-finger.

Flora sighed. "I felt _drawn_ to him, and he made me feel more special than I've felt in a long, _long_ time...but, now he's after Bee, and I...hey, what's that?" She asked suddenly, pointing to something glittering, which was caught near a storm drain.

Emma got up and went over to it. "It's an All-Spark Fragment!" She said, excitedly, and picked it up before it could be washed away forever.

As always happened, it was absorbed into her hand, and Emma closed her eyes. In her mind's eye, she saw herself being able to manipulate the matter around her, and even manipulate another robot's form. Emma opened her eyes, in surprise. Could she _really_ do that?

Suddenly, behind her, she heard the screeching of brakes, and a car screeched to a stop behind her.

Emma turned around, as the dark green Chevrolet transformed into...

"Wasp?" Flora guessed, and then stepped back. "No...that's not...you're not Wasp..."

"Emma, Flora!" The robot said, in a strange voice that _sounded_ like Wasp's, but... "It's me!"

Emma stared into those blue optics, realisation hitting her. "Holy Primus..._Bumblebee_?!" She stepped over to him, and he picked her up, as Flora realised that it was safe now to approach, and did so.

Bumblebee picked up Emma.

"What _happened_ to you?" She asked, putting her hands against his new face-plate.

Flora was staring wide-eyed up at Bumblebee, and dared to ask: "Who _did_ this to you...?"

"Wasp switched places with me!" Bumblebee informed them, sounding panicked. "He's back at the base right now!"

Emma gasped, suddenly recalling that her daughters were there, as well! Just as she was about to mention this, a steady voice said: "Put _down_ the citizen."

They all turned to see Prowl and Bulkhead standing there. Prowl, whom had spoken, was holding a shuriken, and glaring at the green bot holding his girl.

Emma said, quickly: "Prowl, it's okay! This isn't Wasp, it's Bumblebee!"

Prowl froze. "What?"

"Don't trust _anything_ Wasp says to you, you two!" Bulkhead told Emma and Flora. "He's a liar and he's deceptive! Use your powers to get away so that we can _slag_ him, but good!"

Flora glared at him. They were talking about _her_ Wasp this way!

"Wait, Bulkhead!" Bumblebee thought fast! "Remember back in boot camp, when you pushed that tower over on Sentinel, but _I_ took the rap for you?!"

Bulkhead stared for a moment, and then recognition dawned in his blue optics. "Bumblebee!" He cried, jumping up and down in a nearly cutely-squeaky way, and thundering over to them. Emma jumped away just in time, as Bulkhead pulled Bumblebee into a bone-crushing hug. "I knew _something_ wasn't right!"

"Yeah. Sure you did." Flora rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Prowl looked first at Emma, and then at Bulkhead.

"No bot else knows about that - least of all Wasp." Bulkhead informed him.

"Plus, check out his optics - that's Bee alright." Emma pointed.

"I'd know Wasp anywhere." Flora added, quietly.

"We should alert Prime." Prowl said, quickly.

"Right." Bumblebee agreed, glancing over Bulkhead's shoulder. "But first, maybe you should tell _them_?!"

They all turned, to see two jets flying in arcs towards them. Emma felt a pounding in her heart, as she watched the Jet-Twins get closer. Jetstorm was blue, with a gold trim, and Jetfire was beige with an orange trim. There was _something_ strange about them, but she couldn't _quite_ figure out just what it was...

"No need for alarm," Prowl said, calmly. "Prime radioed us earlier - those two are flying Autobots."

"_Cool_..." Flora breathed.

"I _knew_ she was going to say that." Emma muttered, keeping her eyes on the Jet-Twins. There was something about their movements...yes, they flew in a similar manner to Starscream. To most, it would be undetectable, but Emma had known Starscream's flight-patterns for a very long time. Not only that, though, but there was something _else_ about the way that they were moving...something about it reminded her of what Sai had said to her, earlier...the advanced lesson...it had been a form of Jet-Judo!

As the uninformed Jet-Twins moved in for the kill, Emma suddenly felt a strange power spark up inside of her, and she cried: "Twin Power!" Like the evil Gemini Twins in Sailor Moon.

"Huh?" Bulkhead; Prowl; Bumblebee and Flora glanced at her, as her hands glowed blue, and she aimed the beams of light at the oncoming Jet-Twins.

Suddenly, both of them were forced into their holoforms, but Emma wasn't finished there - she leapt up into the sky and grabbed them both, executing a perfect (albeit improvised) display of Jet-Judo, and brought them both to the ground with three very audible thuds!

"Incredible, isn't she?" Flora grinned.

Prowl; Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked speechless.

The twins tried to get up, but Emma held them down, in somewhat weird positions, but it got the job done.

Both of the twins were young, maybe twelve or thirteen years old, and dressed in similar outfits - black three-quarter-length shorts and t-shirts. Jetfire's was beige and Jetstorm's was gold. Jetfire wore an orange jacket with a beige trim, and Jetstorm's was blue with a gold trim. Jetfire had hazel eyes and messy orange (?) hair, and wore his goggles. Jetstorm's blue eyes were covered by his blue visor, and he had dark blue hair that was also messy. Emma suddenly had the strongest desire to get a comb and fix those dreadful hairstyles!

"Okay, now just hold still, you two!" Emma said firmly, glancing at each of them in the eye before adding: "Part of being a good soldier means _listening_ to your comrades, and _not_ shooting before then!"

The twins exchanged a glance, as the others approached them.

The Autobot symbol glittered in the streetlight.

Jetfire pointed to the smaller of the two green-bots, and said: "But, Ms. Human, he..."

"Is to be being Decepticon, no?" Jetstorm finished.

"The 'no' part is correct." Emma assured them. "Trust me - that's not the one you're after."

The Jet-Twins were confused, but they didn't try to attack again as Emma finally let them up.

"How did you _do_ that?" Flora asked her.

Emma shrugged. "My martial-arts training..."

"Oh, right, I never quite got the whole Jet-Judo thing." Flora nodded, knowingly.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee had _no_ idea what they meant, and it didn't matter because, just then, the cavalry arrived.

"Bulkhead, Prowl, step away from Wasp!" Optimus warned them. "Innocent or not, he may _still_ be dangerous...Emma, Flora, what are you two doing here?"

the two girls exchanged a glance. They didn't really need to explain anything.

Optimus had his gaze trained on "Wasp".

Buljgead began jumping up and down. "Oh, it's okay, he's Bumblebee I know because I pushed a wall over on Sentinel and he _told_ me!"

Everybody stared at him.

Prowl decided to help out. "Umm, what he _means_ to say is, Wasp _seems_ to have swapped places with Bumblebee."

"It's true." Flora and Emma said, in unison.

That was when Jazz noticed Emma standing there, and their gazes met. She blushed, but only Jazz; Prowl and Flora noticed this, as Sentinel became even angrier.

"I don't care!" He yelled, putting a hand on Optimus' shoulder as he appeared seemingly from nowhere. "Arrest them all, and let Ultra Magnus sort them out!"

"Whoa! Down some cooling there, SP!" Jazz advised.

"Ms. Human," Jetfire whispered to Emma. "Is Mr. Sentinel Prime sir not to be listening to comrades?"

"You'll get used to it." She assured him, and his brother. "Oh, and my name's Emma, not 'Ms. Human'."

"Oh, we are to be sorry." Jetstorm apologized.

"Aren't they cute?" Flora whispered to Emma.

"I know." Emma grinned back.

"Russian Twins!" They squealed, in unison.

Meanwhile...

"You're not arresting _anyone_, Sentinel!" Optimus slapped away Sentinel's hand.

"So you _are_ in on it, Optimus?" Sentinel stared at him.

"_No_, Sentinel." Optimus couldn't believe that Sentinel _still_ hadn't figured it out, yet! "I just have something you never will - respect for my team-mates!"

At the mention of team-mates, Sentinel was looking around, and saying: "Where are Jetfire and Jetstorm?"

The twins exchanged a glance, and then glanced at Emma. She shrugged.

Jetfire and Jetstorm then returned to their robot forms.

"_Aurgh_!" Sentinel screamed his manly-girlie scream, and jumped back. "Jetfire! Jetstorm! Don't _ever_ do that again, you hear me?!" He shuddered. "_Organics_..."

Optimus sighed. "Look, if this," he pointed to the small green mech. "Really is Bumblebee..."

Emma gasped, her reality coming crashing back to her. "Then Wasp is at the plant, where my girls are!" She cried.

Prowl's spark nearly stopped beating.

"He won't hurt them!" Flora exclaimed.

"I'm _not_ taking that risk!" Emma cried, as Prowl transformed, and Emma jumped onto the back of the motorcycle, dragging Flora with her.

The others hurried to transform and follow them, but Jazz stayed behind to ask Bulkhead just _one_ last question.

"So, hit me with that one more time - a robot in disguise swaps metal with a double-agent who is _really_ on the level?"

Bulkhead blinked. "Makes even _less_ sense when you say it."

* * *

Prowl; Emma and Flora arrived back at the base before the others, and Prowl drove straight in before transforming with each of the girls in either hand.

What met their gazes was a bit of a shock.

The one that they now knew was Wasp was sitting on the couch, seeming shocked as Aquilla and Audrey played video games.

"Yes!" Aquilla cheered, furiously tapping buttons. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"No fair, you cheated!" Audrey cried, as her character was defeated. She threw the controllers down and pouted.

_Yup, she's my daughter, alright..._ Emma recognized Audrey's actions as her own. "Girls?" She called out, as Prowl set her down, cautiously.

The twins both looked up, and gasped. "Mummy!" They cried, and ran to her.

"Mummy, guess what!" Audrey exclaimed, as the headlights from the other Autobots appeared from behind them.

"That's not really Bumblebee!" Audrey finished.

"What?!" Wasp (in Bumblebee's armor) exclaimed. His violet-optics suddenly zeroed in on Flora. "Flora-Bot...?"

"Wasp, stop this, please," Flora said, stepping forwards. "When I told you this location, I didn't expect you to do _this_," she gestured first to him, and then to Bumblebee. "This is just madness. Can't you find _another_ reason to live?"

"What other reason Wasp have to live?" Wasp asked her.

She just stared at him.

"Mummy, what's going on?" Aquilla and Audrey were confused.

"Bed-time, you two." Emma said cheerfully, as if nothing was happening, and walked swiftly out of the room to put her twins to bed.

"Flora-Bot...angry at Wasp?" Wasp asked her.

She shook her head. "No..." She smiled. "I just want to help you..."

"Flora-Bot..._care_ about Wasp?" He was shocked.

Flora nodded. "_Yes_..." She took another step towards him. "I want to be your _friend_, Wasp..." _Maybe even more...?_

"I have had about _enough_ of all of this!" Sentinel drew out his battle-lance, which Wasp calculated as a threat immediately.

"Sentinel!" Flora cried.

Wasp flew at Bumblebee and grabbed him, holding a stinger against his throat and the other one at Sentinel.

Everybody froze.

Wasp said: "Wasp was good bot once, but then Bumblebot _ruin_ Wasp's life!"

"Wasp!" Flora cried.

"No, Wasp," Bulkhead shook his head. "Even if you _weren't_ a Decepticon, you were always mean and cruel - you were _never_ a good bot!"

"_Bulkhead_!" Flora cried.

Wasp looked at her. "Flora-Bot, Wasp sorry Wasp not able to come up with new compliment - Wasp keep trying." He then stung...the ceiling lights, throwing them all into darkness.

"Oh for spark's sake, not again!" Ratchet complained.

* * *

Emma came out of the twins' room a few minutes later, to find everybody crowded in the rec room, with some bots missing.

"It's all okay," Bulkhead reassured her, as she approached them. He had one servo around the yellow-bot's shoulders. "This time it's really Bumblebee."

Emma glanced at the yellow-bot's bright blue optics, and smiled.

Her smile soon faded, however, when she realised that Flora and Ratchet were gone. She found out that Flora had gotten upset, and Ratchet had offered to take her home, which was nice of him.

Emma sighed. "I hope she'll be okay..." She then smiled up at Jazz. "Jazz, nice to see you again."

"You too, cool cat." He smiled at her. "By the way, I gotta ask you...those two little ladies, were they...?"

Everybody in the know exchanged a glance, and then Emma glanced at Prowl.

Jazz noticed this, and tensed up a little bit...

Emma sighed. "Okay, but first thing's first..." She narrowed her eyes at Sentinel and then, suddenly, he yelped.

He was now standing there as a human, wearing blue jeans and a blue and orange jacket over a black t-shirt. He had the same electric blue eyes, and golden blonde hair. He looked _furious_!

Emma sighed again, and then turned to the Elite Guard. "Those were Aquilla and Audrey, my techno-organic twin daughters infused with the power of the All-Spark."

...

"WHAT?!"


	24. Torn, And In Love

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Low level course language

. Mild adult themes

. Mild level sexual references

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

24 - I have a plan already, but thank you for your suggestion. :) Thanks for the review!

pokemonjkl - here's the update, but it's not all that bad!

AllSpark Princess (formerly Magical Princess) - yes, Wasp didn't deserve half of what happened to him, the poor dear. ^^

WingBladeWeaver1357 - Jazz'll be okay, you'll see. :)

* * *

**Art-Work:**

gallery/?offset=48#/d5g1g6t - Emma/Angel.

art/Voice-Actress-Meme-GMSL-337176572?q=gallery%3Adark-anmut%2F1029835&qo=26 - the voice actress meme for Emma: Aquilla/Audrey; Flora and Victoria.

#/d5l2taw - Mama Fuyano's Workers.

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Torn, And In Love

* * *

"Okay, so when the jet flies overhead," Emma was saying, moving her hands to exaggerate a point. She was a little bit embarrassed - Jazz and the Jet-Twins were hanging onto her every word, and she wasn't used to having them around just yet. "You need to judge his movements and, mind you, you only have a few seconds to do this." The Jet-Twins nodded. "And then...uh, well, yeah...it probably works better for you Transformers, anyway..."

"Ms. Emma is to being fantastic, no, Mr. Jazz?" Jetstorm grinned. Jazz nodded in agreement, but then he realised something. "Wait, so level with me, Ems - who's this _Sai _guy?"

Emma cringed, realising her mistake. She understood now perfectly why Sai wanted to be left alone, and why he didn't trust the Autobots anymore. Only when Emma had been in great need had he revealed his identity to the Autobots but, thankfully, they'd left him along after that...for now, anyway...

Now, however, Emma nervously bit at her nail, and tried to come up with a lie that didn't sound so outrageously like a lie.

Thankfully, just then, Aquilla and Audrey came running into the room, with Audrey carrying with them Scuz. Aquilla was dressed all in blue, and Audrey was dressed in yellow.

"Quick, throw me the Power-Ring!" Aquilla called to Audrey, and Audrey complied by throwing a gold bracelet to her, which she deftly caught.

Aquilla held up the bracelet, and declared: "We shall defeat the evil Docter Robotnic!" She yelled, running towards the training room.

"Wait for me, I'm not as fast as you!" Audrey cried, and that was when they noticed the two yellow feather boas tied around her waist.

Emma face-palmed.  
"What are they doing?" Jazz asked, in amusement.  
"Playing _Sonic The Hedgehog." _Emma replied.  
"Sonic...?" Jetfire began.  
"The Hedgehog?" Jetstorm finished.  
Both of them exchanged a glance.  
"Uh-huh." Emma nodded. "It's a video game from my world."

"Video...?"

"Game?"

_Augh, they're just too cute! _Emma thought, unable to keep the huge grin off of her face just then.

Jazz picked up on Emma's thoughts just then, an couldn't help but smile, as well - like he'd suspected, Emma was totally crazy over the Jet-Twins!

"Why don't you two go and see what my girls are up to?" Emma suggested. "Just be careful - they'll probably make you be the bad guys, or something..."

Jetfire and Jetstorm nodded, and went off in search of the younger twins.

Emma watched them go, and then turned to Jazz. He was looking at her, and Emma remembered, shyly, the last time they had seen each other.

Jazz had even given her her first kiss!

But...she was with Prowl now...right? He'd even _proposed _to her! They had shared many special moments, moments _way _more special than Emma believed she deserved, but Prowl had a way of making her feel like the most important and amazing person in the _universe._

"I think..." Emma began, just as Jazz said: "You know..." They both laughed, and then Jazz said: "You first."

Emma smiled. "Umm, you know, I think that we have a _lot _catching up to do, Jazz."

Jazz smiled, as well. "Wanna swing round town for a few clicks?" He suggested.

Emma laughed. "If that means, 'do I want to go for a drive with you?', then yeah."

They left the base together, not knowing that Prowl was watching them from above, and he _wasn't _happy.

* * *

"Why _didn't you tell me, Optimus?!" _Sentinel screeched, causing a passing trash-bot to stop in its tracks and stare at them.

They paid it no notice, as Optimus tried to quiet Sentinel down. "Sentinel, take it easy..."

"I'll be upset if I want!" Sentinel began to pace angrily up and down the dock, on the almost-deserted wharf where he had dragged Optimus early that morning. Now, Sentinel prided himself on being the calmest of the calm, and able to handle high amounts of pressure (or, so he boasted) but _this, _oh _this _was something that the Prime was _not _going to take lying down! And, since Ultra Magnus was not here, it was up to him, Sentinel Prime (soon-to-be-Magnus) to straighten this matter out! Sentinel stopped pacing, to turn and face Optimus. "Why didn't you _tell _me that that _thing _that has the All-Spark Fragments gave birth to smaller organics, and transferred some of _our _planet's power into _them!"_

Optimus' expression darkened. He could usually handle _most _of Sentinel's insults and such - when they were directed at him. However, when the subject happened to be his friends and family, it was a different story. Optimus' voice was cold, as he stated: "First of all, _Sentinel, _that _thing _has a name - her name is Emma. _Secondly, _as Ultra Magnus stated, Emma _is _the rightful holder of the All-Spark, and we have a duty to protect. And, _thirdly, _since Aquilla and Audrey are Emma's daughters, whether they've been gifted with the All-Spark's powers or not is irrelevant - we must protect _them, _as well."

Sentinel rolled his optics. "You're too soft, Optimus - you go on and on about all of this heroic 'protecting' business, but in reality..." He trailed off suddenly, upon seeing the look on Optimus' face. It was a rare look, but one that Sentinel recognized - if he didn't shut up now, then he was in for a world of hurt.

Sentinel was still annoyed, however. How had that _one _organic managed to ensnare all of these Autobots into her twisted little web of manipulation? Her and those annoying, bratty little twins of hers...they had the other Autobots wrapped around their little fingers, and Sentinel wasn't _about _to stand for it!

Unbeknownst to Sentinel and Optimus, another bot was watching them, and just waiting for the moment when Optimus would leave...so that he and Sentinel could have a little spark-to-spark...

* * *

Sari and Miko had decided to cheer up Flora, by having a girl's-day-out on that day. They had wanted Emma to join them, but her phone was mysteriously turned off. So, it was just the three sixteen year olds, and Sari and Miko had a surefire way to make Flora feel better - perfect distraction!

They went and saw a movie - not a sappy romance-tragedy, but an action blockbuster starring Vampires and Werewolves!

They got sushi (not ice-cream, or anything that you would have whilst out on a date!).

The sushi actually started when Sari suggested (a little _too _brightly): "So...where do you guys wanna eat?" She pointed across to a cafe called _Sushi Star._

Flora grimaced. "Uh, raw fish?"

Sari tilted her head to one side. "My Dad loves sushi." She stated.

"Mine too." Flora shrugged.

"So do I!" Miko grinned, and held up her fingers. "Eight little wiggly octopus legs!"

The three girls started giggling - and then, they did indeed get the sushi!

Afterwards, they went shopping, and ended up going into every store - even the book shop (at Sari's insistence).

Miko carried a stack of Japanese manga over to where Sari was paying for her purchases with her Dad's credit card.

"I got my comic books, how about you?" Miko grinned.

"Oh, I could stay here forever!" Sari replied.

"What's that big old book you've got there?" Miko wanted to know.

"Advanced Physics - look." Sari handed her the book, and took a look at the manga Miko had found.

"Ah, I don't understand any of this stuff!" Miko cried.

"It's all in Japanese!" Sari exclaimed.

They exchanged a glance, and then started giggling.

Just then, they noticed that Flora had disappeared. They were concerned, until Sari got a text-message.

It said: **Hey guys, thanks for taking me out, but I'm kind of tired so I think I'll head home. Don't worry, I'm fine. Love, Flora...**

Miko and Sari exchanged a glance. They didn't believe that Flora was heading home, anymore than they believed that she was fine. People didn't just get over this kind of thing _that _quickly.

"Maybe she just needs some time to get her head wrapped around the whole thing?" Sari suggested.

Miko sighed. "I'm still worried about...hello?" She suddenly stared at something across the mall.

"What?" Sari looked around. "What is it?"

Miko grabbed Sari's hand, and dragged her to crouch behind a potted fern. Parting the thick leaves with her hands, Miko pointed inconspicuously towards a store called _Solid Stones, _which just so happened to be one of the most expensive jewelry stores in the city.

"Yeah, what about it?" Sari's sky blue eyes suddenly honed in on a figure standing at one of the display cabinets, which a woman was standing behind with one of those satin blue display trays, on which was perched a number of sparkly rings. "Wait a minute...that guy...is that...?"

The man suddenly half-turned - he was African-American, with braided hair and...electric blue eyes!

"it is him!" Miko and Sari both gasped in unison. "Jazz!" Sari already knew what Jazz looked like in his holoform, and Miko had already guessed that it was him, due to the Elite Guard symbol on the back of his jumper.

"But, what's he doing?" Miko wanted to know.

Sari shrugged. "I have a feeling I know, but..." She suddenly trailed off, seeing the sparkle in Miko's light brown eyes. "What are you...no, no, Miko, don't go there!" She cried, but Miko was already off and running - literally.

Sari sighed - Miko could be _so _immature, sometimes!

* * *

Jazz used the credit card that all of the Autobots had gotten - it was blue with the red Autobot symbol in one corner, and his name followed by an access number.

Jazz typed in the eighteen-digit PIN number.

"How do you remember all those numbers?" The lady behind the counter wanted to know.

Jazz grinned. "Easy - it's the price of a large barrel of high-grade energon and a diet-grade energon back where my partner and I used to swing - Panucci's Pub."

The lady behind the counter smiled at him. "Okay then, here you go." She handed him the box. "Is it for a special somebody?"

Jazz's smile grew, and his electric blue eyes twinkled. "Sure is - for the most special little lady on the planet."

The lady nodded. "Well, good luck with that."  
Jazz thanked her, and then turned and walked out of the shop.

"Hi there, Jazz." A voice said from beside him, and Jazz jumped, to see a short, Japanese girl with a pink streak in her black hair, smiling knowingly up at him. "Shopping for somebody special, are we?"

Jazz glance around him, and then spotted Sari's red pigtails from behind a potted fern, and realised that this must be Miko, the girl that Emma had told him about.

Jazz said: "Uh...sure..."

Miko grinned. "You're gonna ask Emma to _marry _you, aren't you?!" she exclaimed, and Jazz looked shocked. How had Miko known?

But, yes, that was the plan...

* * *

Emma, meanwhile, had gone to the bank to try and re-open her account, which had been frozen after Powell had taken over Isaac's company (Powell was now in jail, thankfully, along with Henry Masterson).

The bank-teller swiped the card, and Emma typed in the (four-digit) pin-code.

"Okay, you had a balance of ninety-three cents." The bank-teller told her.

"Cool." That was more money than she had back in her own world!

"Plus the money that Mr. Sumdac had transferred there as non-available credit that became available when you turned twenty-three." The bank- teller continued. "And, with the current rise in interest over a period of seven months, that comes to...two hundred and thirty-nine million dollars."

Emma was silent for a moment, before she began to hyperventilate.

* * *

Emma decided to treat everybody to dinner that night, to celebrate the fact that she was now a multi-millionaire again. She invited all of the Autobots; plus Miko; Sari and her Father; and Flora and her parents. Everybody could come, save for Sentinel (which nobody was _too _upset about) and Flora and her parents (which everybody was a little bit concerned over, but decided to just let slide).

And, since Emma had decided to make reservations at the fanciest restaurant in the city - Moreales - that meant that everybody had to get dressed up. For the men, this meant suits and ties. For the girls, it meant cocktail dresses.

Aquilla and Audrey were thrilled to be allowed to come to the 'grown-up- dinner', and Emma had found gorgeous dresses for them to wear (courtesy of Victoria's foresight before the birth). Aquilla's was a medium purple colour, with a sash around the waist and a bow at the back. Audrey's was light pink, with a sailor-style collar and a bow at the front.

The twins sat patiently in front of the big mirror in Emma's room at Sumdac Tower, from where they; Miko and the Sumdacs would be picked up from, as Emma brushed their hair. Emma even allowed them to wear a tiny amount of clear lip-gloss.

"Mummy, can I get my ears pierced like yours?" Aquilla asked suddenly, as Emma switched over all six gold hoops for silver music notes earrings instead.

"Hmm?" Emma asked, distractedly, twisting on the parrot-clip. "Umm, when you're four, okay, sweet-spark? That's how old I was."

"Yeah, but Uncle Ratchet said that Audrey and I have azelerate growth rate." Aquilla protested.

"Accelerate growth rate," Emma corrected her, straightening out Audrey's locket, which she was allowed to wear tonight, and Aquilla had hers on, as well. "And, even so."

Aquilla pouted. "I want pierced ears." She said grumpily, crossing her arms. "I want to wear pretty earrings, too!"

Emma glanced over at her, and was startled to see Aquilla's eyes had turned a slight shade of darker red than what they _usually _were.

Emma fought down her panic, knowing that there were at least four beings on this planet that could sense it. She had known for some time now that being infused with Starscream's code as well as her own DNA meant that the twins were half him (meaning, basically, that he was their Father) and that they would exhibit some of his qualities, as well as her own.

It seemed that Aquilla's was impatience and moodiness.

Luckily, just then, Miko and Sari appeared at the doorway, and Miko was holding a sheet of something, which turned out to be stick-on-earrings.

Aquilla's eyes immediately returned to their orangey-colour, much to Emma's relief, and she and Audrey immediately gazed over the sheet, before Aquilla chose a pair of blue stars, and Audrey chose green hearts.

Miko, wearing a dark green dress that changed to black whenever she moved, helped the twins to stick the earrings onto their lower ear-lobes. Sari, wearing a cream-coloured dress that dipped at the back, examined her appearance in the mirror, tugging at her hair, which Miko had helped her to style into a sort of bob that curved around her face, and was a welcome change from her usually spunky pigtails.

Emma watched her, feeling a pang of emptiness all of a sudden. It had seemed only yesterday that Sari had been the tomboyish little eight- year-old that needed a Nanny, and now she was all grown up. How had that happened?

Sari caught Emma looking at her in the mirror, and turned to her, with a smile. "How do I look?" She asked, shimmying a little bit.

What could Emma say? She smiled back, and said: "Like two hundred and thirty-nine million dollars...kiddo."

* * *

Bumblebee showed up at the Sumdac Tower at six-thirty, and Jazz was with him.

Miko nudged Sari and grinned, and Sari grinned back. They had expected this. They watched as Jazz activated his holoform, and held open the door for Emma and the twins.

Emma, in her silvery dress with the sleeve wings, turned about three shades of red, which matched her lipstick.

Sari and Miko grinned, but then it was Sari's turn to blush, as Bumblebee said to her: "Sari, what happened to your _hair?"_

"Oh..." Sari looked down. "Don't you like it?"

"It isn't that..." Bumblebee said. "It's just...it's so...different...umm..."

Sari sighed.

Miko took the opportunity to kick one of Bumblebee's wheels, making him yelp. "Ouch! What was _that _for?!"

"Baka!" Miko hissed, crossly. Boys could be _so _immature!

* * *

They met the others at the restaurant - which happened to be one that slowly revolved, and was one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"I think they have one of these in KL." Emma mused, referring to the capital of Malaysia, as they travelled up in the elevator. "Mum told me about it, once - she said that the restaurant had only _just _been opened, and so they hadn't quite figured out how to rotate it properly."

"What happened?" Jazz wanted to know. Emma hadn't wanted to admit it, but he looked very handsome in a suit!

"They ended up rotating it too fast, and people started getting sick, which didn't impress my Mum because she _hates _that." Emma said, simply, and everybody laughed.

They arrived on the top floor, and walked out into the foyer, where the waiter took their names, and then walked them over to a long table by the window. The restaurant was already revolving slowly, much to the twins delight, as they rushed to press their faces to the glass and get their first birds-eye-view of Detroit.

Emma; Miko; Sari; Isaac; Bumblebee and Jazz, meanwhile, went over to the table. Optimus; Ratchet; Bulkhead; Prowl and the Jet-Twins were already waiting for them.

"This is _posh." _Miko commented, gazing in awe at the fancy table-cloth and six different kinds of cutlery and different crystal glasses. The room was beautifully furnished, and there was a spiral staircase leading up to an observation deck.

"Just make sure to keep the bill below two million." Emma told her, and she grinned.

Sari just shrugged, and made sure to sit as far away from Bumblebee as she could get. She was still feeling a bit sore about how he had insulted her new hairstyle like that.

They ended up sitting with Isaac; Sari; Miko; Bulkhead; Ratchet and Jazz on one side, facing Jetfire; Jetstorm; Aquilla; Audrey; Bumblebee and Prowl. Optimus sat at one end of the table, and Emma sat at the other.

Emma couldn't help the warm, fuzzy feeling that crept into her stomach that evening, as she laughed and chatted with those that mattered a lot to her in this world. The _Fettuccine Carbonara _was the best she had ever eaten, and she even decided to treat herself and order a fifty dollar bottle of cabernet-sauvignon, which she shared with Optimus and Isaac. The topics of conversation ranged from their heroic battles with against the Decepticons to the rise in the price of Mercury Bars at the local deli. Miko mentioned that Mama Fuyano had found out about two of her employees eating at a different restaurant, and those in the know laughed at how furious the scary Asian lady must be. Everybody wondered what Sentinel Prime was doing, and the Jet-Twins speculated that it must be something _very _important!

Emma exchanged a look with Optimus, and they both tried not to laugh.

In fact, everything was going perfectly, despite Sari not talking to Bumblebee and everybody wondering where Flora was (Captain Fanzone hadn't said much, just that it was probably best if they didn't come tonight).

Emma also felt only the _slightest _bit uncomfortable, because she was sitting between Prowl and Jazz. They were, at least, being civil to each other, which was good because it meant that Emma hadn't messed up their story-line _too _much. She did, however, feel a slightly negative vibe coming from the both of them, and then it happened.

Emma was reaching across the table to put the water bottle back (the water had cost them twelve dollars!), when Miko suddenly gasped, and grabbed Emma's left hand, nearly dragging her across the table as she did.

"Emma!" She cried, dramatically. "This ring!" She held Emma's hand up to the light, as Emma numbly allowed herself to be yanked around like this. "It's a _wedding _ring!"

Emma went white, and everybody had, by this stage, stopped what they were doing and were now staring at her - actually, the whole entire restaurant was.

Sari glanced at Emma's pale face, and then looked from Jazz to Prowl.

Jazz looked shocked, but Prowl looked...smug?

That was when Sari realised that something was going on, and that she _had _to shut Miko up before she said too much!

Sari grabbed Miko, detaching her from Emma and dragging her away from the table, saying something about needing help with her hair, and making sure not to look at Bumblebee as she said that.

Emma, meanwhile, had straightened up, but now she too stood up, and excused herself. "I...I'm feeling a bit too warm, I just need some fresh air." She mumbled, and practically ran to the spiral staircase, disappearing outside.

The others watched her go silently, and then Prowl and Jazz stood up in unison.

They exchanged a glance, both of their expressions unreadable. They appeared to be having a silent conversation with their electric blue eyes – the tension was so thick that you could've cut it with a knife…

* * *

At Mama Fuyano's, the woman in question held up a large sushi knife, angling it with delicate and lethal precision.

"_Hyaaaa_!" She screamed suddenly, slamming the big knife down, and splitting the _fugu_ fish into two.

Her employees watched her, silently, a little bit scared.

It was still impressive, however, when Mama Fuyano began to take out the poisonous bits of the ugly fish.

"_Sugoi_…" Sakura breathed.

"Yeah, cool…" Kerry agreed.

None of them were aware of the danger lurking just outside the kitchens…

* * *

Emma leaned against the railing, looking out over the city as the cool night air blew gently around her, and billowed her dress around.

From up here, she could see the whole entire city. She easily spotted Sumdac Tower, and located the base; the Elite Guard Flagship; _and_ Mama Fuyano's.

Her heart was beating very fast – she _almost_ wished that what Miko had commented on was her Decepticon symbol, rather than her promise ring!

She sighed. "Give me a sign, Master Yoketron, on what to do." She said, out-loud, actually wringing her hands. "I _know_ you can hear me." She added, accusingly.

"Don't think Master Y can do much from the other side, cool cat." A voice said, from behind her.

Emma jumped, and spun around, to see none other than Jazz standing there, holding a glass of water, which was _exactly_ what she wanted right now.

"Chill, okay?" Jazz offered her the glass, which she accepted gratefully, and took a small sip from. Suddenly, however, she noticed something at the bottom of the glass, and she froze. She swallowed the water that she already had in her mouth, before holding the glass up to the light of the moon.

"Is this what I think it is?" She whispered.

Jazz had a cool and steady gaze. There was every ounce of devotion and trust in his eyes that were present in Prowl's when he looked at the girl standing before him. Emma recognized that and, whilst it scared her a little bit, it also set her heart aflutter.

What was she going to do?! She was such a two-timer, leading both of them along like this but, if she recalled correctly, _they_ had led her along _first_…she'd just…_followed_…

As Emma attempted to fish the gold ring out of the water glass, Jazz said: "Looks, Ems, I don't wanna make this a difficult sitch for you, but I also can't keep lying to myself…"

"Jazz…"

"I don't know how much you remember," Jazz went on. "But, the thing is, our scene goes _way_ back…"

"Jazz…"

"I get that you and Prowl are in tight, but I also know how _I_ feel…being away from you for a whole stellar cycle nearly drove me off the deep end…" Jazz admitted.

"Jazz…"

"Look, what I'm trying to say, Ems, is that, I want you to consider a second option, which would, in short, mean swinging with me…as my spark-partner." Jazz finished.

Emma sighed. "Jazz, I…wait, say what now?" She nearly dropped the glass, which would have been a very bad thing. As it was, her hands started shaking, and Jazz had to take the glass away from her to avoid an accident.

"Ems?" Jazz placed a gentle hand against the side of her face – she didn't pull away.

Jazz leaned closer to her, until their foreheads were touching. "All I'm saying is, Ems, at least _consider_ it…please?"

There was a note of pleading in his voice that Emma wasn't used to hearing, and she found herself nodding slightly, and her lips formed the word: "O…kay…"

Jazz smiled, somewhat in relief, and put his other hand on her shoulder, his thumb resting on her throat, close to her scar. Unlike when her Mother tried to touch her scar (usually to do what _all_ Mother's seemed to feel the need to do no matter _what_ age their child was, which was spitting on a tissue and then rubbing it onto the skin to clean away a speck of non-existent dirt), Emma didn't flinch – there was something so cool, so _gentle_ about Jazz's touch, that she found herself thinking strange thoughts…

Emma whispered: "I remember…being Angel…" Jazz's eyes lit up. "I remembered the planet-hopping that we did, back when you were my body-guard…I used my powers to heal injured Autobots, and other beings as well…this was before organic planets were made off-limits…I remember how close we were, even back then…"

"Oh, thank _Primus_…" Jazz whispered. "It's all cool, though – Emma or Angel, you'll _always_ be my sweetspark, baby…"

Emma blushed, her heart fluttering at the names he'd just called her. "Now, I haven't made up my mind yet." Emma informed him. "We're in the middle of an intergalactic war here, even though we haven't heard word one from those Decepticons in Primus knows how long..." She shook her head. "I get the feeling we'll have _other_ things to worry about, though..." She muttered, and then glanced down at the ring in her hand, which had, thankfully, stopped shaking.

The ring was white gold, with a blue sapphire in the middle. The sapphire was cut into a heart shape, however, and featured above a pretty silver-gold bow, with a smaller white diamond embedded into it. Jazz must've done his research, knowing that sapphires were Emma's birthstone. It also happened to be the favourite gemstone of both Emma and her Mother, ironically. Back home, Lee had an impressive array of jewelry, which she often wore all at the same time. Now, it seemed, her daughter was accumulating her very own collection.

Jazz was watching Emma intently, with his cool, electric blue eyes. He knew that she was worried - he could sense it just as well as any of his _own_ emotions. He could tell, not just by the nervous way she fiddled with her fingers, but just by the signals he was getting from her spark. She hadn't changed a bit, despite being reborn as a human. She was still the same femme that he had fallen for all those stellar cycles ago, back when they were both cyber-ninja and (Jazz thought, wryly) she was hot-headed and untrusting. She was _still_ as stubborn as ever, but she seemed to have lost some of her confidence over the years, and _that_ worried Jazz. What had happened to her, to make her this way?

She still had the same spark and spirit, however. Jazz loved the precious little time they spent together, just cruising through the streets and talking about things that were trivial and meaningless, but meant everything to them. Something other than Decepticons and wars and battle.

When Jazz had first seen her, last year on the ship, and when he had first begun to suspect what she really was, he'd began hoping to recapture the friendship and intimacy they'd known during their younger years - something that, it seemed, Prowl was _also_ keen to do. he had had a lot more time to do this, of course, being allowed to stay on earth whilst Jazz had had to leave. Jazz, surprisingly, didn't have as _much_ of a problem with Prowl as what he thought he should have (after all, how could he blame the other mech for feeling the way about Emma/Angel that, at least in Jazz's opinion, _any_ mech should?). He respected Prowl, as an Autobot and as a cyber-ninja. This didn't mean, however, that Jazz was going to give up. No way in The Well Of All-Sparks was he going to stop fighting for the femme he loved. She was a femme worth fighting for and, all his life, Jazz had been taught to do just that. He had held onto his love for stellar cycles, much to the annoyance of a few particular Autobots (cough-Sentinel-cough). Other femmes had tried to get him to notice them, and he was polite and friendly to them, but they weren't Angel. Nobody was Angel.

Jazz had thought he might never see her again...until he'd met Emma, whom was every bit Angel as she had been then, and had (somehow) become even _better_ with her new incarnation. Now, he was more in love with her than ever before.

Jazz carefully placed his hand over Emma's left hand, and said: "That's cool...gives me more time to work the moves."

Emma found herself laughing softly, even as Jazz placed the ring on her finger, above the ring that was already there. "What does that even _mean_, Jazz?"

"This." He replied, and kissed her, sending the same feeling of electricity and fire through her that it had the last time he had done this to her. It sent a jolt of emotions through her too, not confusion and guilt like she thought she _should_ be feeling, but...more like...this was okay, this was _alright_...

Was it _really_ okay to have _two_ spark-partners?

Emma wasn't entirely positive, but she was pretty sure that there was a tribe in Papua New Guinea where women could have multiple husbands...

But, she wasn't _in_ Papua New Guinea, was she?

Suddenly, just after Jazz drew away from her, Emma _wished_ that she was, because she suddenly felt a strong and intense aura that almost border-lined on _hostile_ emanating from her left, and both she and Jazz turned to see Prowl standing there, his usually calm eyes now blazing like blue storms, and they were fixed not on Jazz, but on Emma or, more to the point, the second ring on her left hand.

He looked up at Emma, his eyes showing not betrayal but just confusion, and was met with her equally confused, yet somewhat guilty, gaze.

_Emma?_ He thought at her.

_I...I..._ Emma couldn't even explain herself. She felt like a child that had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. It was all happening so fast for her, again, but this time she was, at least in part, to blame.

Prowl's eyes darkened when they snapped back to Jazz, and he said, coldly: "_What. Did. You. Do_?"

Jazz held up his hands. "Nothing, Prowl - just chill."

Prowl's expression did not change, but he relaxed his posture ever-so-slightly. Jazz sometimes had a way of calming down even the most tense of situations - just like Prowl sometimes did...

Emma seemed to come back to reality then, and stepped in-between the two mechs, holding out her hands.

"Okay, look," she said, closing her eyes in concentration. "I'm going to try something here, so please bear with me for a second..." She knew that it would be a whole lot easier if she just _showed_ them, rather than trying to explain it all to them.

Emma took a deep breath, and focused on sending her thoughts to both Jazz and Prowl, also sending with it her emotions, although this was difficult, because of her usually guarded nature. She had to try, though...

She relayed the memories she had recovered when she'd been unconscious for the three days after giving birth, excluding the parts that she had never told anybody about Lockdown's Vampirification in part.

She, hesitantly, followed through with the night Prowl had proposed to her and the events that had just happened with Jazz proposing to her, and what it had meant to her, although she expressed her confusion and feelings of self-worthlessness as well, and gave her reasons for that, mainly through statements from her parents and sister that had eroded her self-belief over the years...

_You lazy, ungrateful bitch!_

_Don't be so fucking retarded!_

_If you're going to act like a child, then we'll treat you like one!_

_You remind me of my cousin that doesn't use deodorant and hoards things and doesn't clean her house - do you want to end up like Marlene?_

_What the Hell is _wrong_ with you?!_

_You're such a brat, it's no wonder Mum wants to kick you out of home!_

_Get out of this house, you worthless bitch!_

_How can you possibly think that what you're doing is your best?_

_All you ever do is draw this anime shit, and you waste all your money on bloody comic books!_

_You know that your Mother's heart problems are caused by stress from you not having a job, don't you?_

_If you just took care of your face and hair, then you'd probably already _have_ a boyfriend, by now._

_You're so immature._

_You're causing your Father and I to have problems now - if we get a divorce, then it will be entirely _your_ fault!_

_You can't cook or clean, you useless bitch, how do you _ever_ expect to get a husband?!_

That last one seemed to echo, as images flashed through of the late nights Emma had spent in tears over all of this, sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow, and of being treated like a child and not being allowed to go anywhere or spend any money, being locked out of her room with only a few changes of clothes and a mattress to get by for months on end, of having some of her possessions destroyed, of being made to feel like a nobody by her older sister, of the physical fights with her Mother and, worst yet, of the two times she'd been physically hurt by her Father. She explained, through her thoughts, that these were things that had made her how she was today, and that was why she was so scared to trust anybody.

Jazz and Prowl were shocked by all of this, and then Emma finished up by saying that, until the war was over, she wasn't going to make any executive decisions about her future, _especially_ not about her relationships.

Emma finished up, and opened her eyes, surprised that she had been able to keep them dry throughout the entire thing - reliving her ordeals had made her feel weak and vulnerable.

She looked at the ground, refusing to make eye-contact with both the cyber-ninja.

They spoke in unison: "Emma..." They began.

Emma glanced up, and her eyes drifted across the city, before she could look at either one of them.

A missile flew through the air, hitting a building which ignited into flames...which suddenly spread to the buildings nearby, one of which happened to be...Mama Fuyano's!

"No!" Emma gasped, running to the balcony railing, her heart-rate beginning to accelerate. "No!"

Prowl suddenly transformed to his robot form, and grabbed Emma in his hand, knowing _exactly_ what she wanted to do right now.

"Jazz, tell Optimus!" Emma yelled, as Prowl jumped over the railings with her, and landed on a nearby building's rooftop.

There was no favouritism in these actions - she had, after all, spent more time traveling around the city this way with Prowl, than she had with Jazz...

* * *

The fire crew arrived a few moments after Emma and Prowl did, and Optimus arrived a few minutes later, along with Jazz; Miko and Ratchet.

They arrived to find Emma standing there on the street opposite the now fully ablaze restaurant, along with Mama Fuyano; Aikio; Zakuro and Kerry.

Miko ran to them, her shocked eyes reflecting the bright orange glare of the fire. "Where's Sakura?!" She cried, seeing only a blue uniform; a black uniform; and an orange uniform.

Mama Fuyano pointed silently towards the building.

Miko gasped. "_Ie_!" She cried. "_Sore wa ton naru koto wa dekimasen_!" She made to run towards the building, but Emma grabbed her arm and held her back. Miko turned to her, and saw a focused expression on the older woman's face, which suddenly changed to relief.

The sound of breaking glass was suddenly heard over the roar of the inferno, and a black shape came flying through the flames.

It was Prowl, and he was carrying a Japanese girl wearing a lilac uniform in his arms...

"_Sakura_!" Everybody cried, as Prowl carried her over to them.

She was unconscious and injured, but she was alive. Ratchet immediately came over, as Optimus continued to help the firefighters fight the blaze, and Jazz began shepherding people to safety.

Emma, meanwhile, stood beside Prowl, as Mama Fuyano stared at the burning restaurant.

"What I do now?" She asked, seeming quite unlike the woman that Emma and Prowl both knew. "This place my home, my girls' home, too...now...we have nowhere..." Miko put a hand on Mama Fuyano's shoulder.

Emma and Prowl exchanged a glance...

* * *

And, so, that was the story of how Mama Fuyano and her workers came to live at Sumdac Tower, during which time Isaac Sumdac paid for the rebuilding of the restaurant. Sari was thrilled, and everybody was excited about her upcoming sweet sixteenth, which would be at the time that the restaurant was to be completed.

In fact, it would have been _brilliant_...except that, nobody could figure out where that missile had come from.

A Decepticon? But, if so, then where was he now?

Nobody knew. They talked about it a lot, though, because it seemed that the only _other_ thing they could talk about was Emma's situation and, if anybody even _dared_ to mention what might be going on between Emma and the two cyber-ninjas, then she would glare at the offender until he or she shut up. Everybody had, of course, noticed the two rings on her finger, and decided to just leave well enough alone - she would talk when she was ready.

There was _one_ thing that Sari wanted to know, however, and wasn't going to take the Death Glare for an answer. She'd had this curiosity since she was eight years old (?) and had finally decided to just go ahead and ask Emma what they had all been wondering.

"Emma?" Sari asked, as they walked through the shopping centre a few days later. The other girls had gone off on a secret shopping trip (read: to buy Sari's birthday presents) and so Sari had plenty of time to ask her former Nanny and one of her best friends, the ultimate question. "Who's Angel?"

Emma stopped in her tracks, jerking Aquilla and Audrey to a stop because they were holding onto her hands. She didn't say anything, and the twins stared up at her, curiously, until they spotted a pet shop and ran to exclaim over to puppies and kittens.

This left Emma alone to answer Sari's question. "Umm...what?" She stalled for time.

Sari wasn't buying it. Her eyes sharp, she gazed at the older woman, and repeated her question, adding: "I've heard you and Prowl and Jazz say that name before, and you've been talking to them a lot about certain things that make no sense...Emma...are you really a Transformer?"

Emma hadn't been expecting that, and she stayed silent.

Unfortunately, her silence was a dead giveaway, and Sari's brilliant blue eyes widened. "Oh my God...you..._are_?"

Emma sighed, and motioned to a nearby bench. "Come on, kiddo - it's time I told you what I can remember..."

* * *

With Sari's help, that evening, Emma sat down with the other Autobots (minus Sentinel Prime) and told them what she had told Sari.

Those that had already known remained quiet, but the others reacted in varying degrees of shock.

"A-Angel?" Optimus repeated, his optics widening. "But...that's the name of..." He looked at Emma, and she looked back at him, knowing what he meant. She didn't recall much about being Elita-1's friend, just that they had been close. Optimus obviously remembered that, too.

"I don't believe it..." Bulkhead sat back, blinking. "All this time...but, how did you end up as a human?"

"I have no idea." Emma shook her head. "I just know what I can recall, and it's not much...I remember a _little bit_ of what Cybertron was like...the sky's different than it is here, and there's no atmospheric weather patterns, are there?"

Optimus nodded, still looking stunned. "That's correct..."

"She really _is_ telling the truth..." Bulkhead added.

"Of course I am!" Emma snapped.

"Really?!" Bumblebee looked shocked, and then excited. "Sweet! That means you're practically one of us now!"

"She already _is_ one of you guys, remember?" Sari rolled her eyes. She still hadn't really forgiven Bumblebee for his comment about her hair, which had since returned back to its usual pigtails. "Just like _me_, _remember_?" She couldn't resist adding, just to see what he would say.

"Well, yeah," Bumblebee shrugged. "But, like, she's been to Cybertron and stuff. That makes it more official."

Sari glared at him. Bumblebee could be such a jerk sometimes! She felt a little bit depressed - she wasn't exactly _fighting_ with him, but still...

Emma, possibly noticing this, stood up and said: "Hey, Bumblebee, why don't you give Sari a ride back to her Father's?"

Sari and Bumblebee glanced at her, and then looked at each other.

"Okay." They said, in unison.

And, right at that moment, they all picked up on a Decepticon signal...

* * *

Emma was bored, waiting for the Autobots to get back - Bumblebee wasn't back from Sari's yet (hopefully the two of them were talking, and not arguing) and Ratchet and Bulkhead had been called by Sentinel to try and help the Jet-Twins with...something. So, Emma was pretty much left to her own devices. The twins were asleep, Scuz-Bag was too, there was nothing on TV except an old monster movie, and Emma didn't want to dwell on her big scenario - trying to figure out if she liked Prowl best, or Jazz best.

Why was it so easy for girls in books to decide? Bella chose Edward. Kelsey chose Kishan. Laurel chose David. But, Jacob and Ren and Tamani didn't exactly give up, and Emma had a feeling that neither Prowl nor Jazz would, either.

"I'm surprised Optimus didn't put me on Monitor Duty...huh, must be a blue moon?"

To pass some time, Emma drank some green tea, and then went rollerblading. Later, still wearing her rollerblades, she jumped on the internet, and began surfing random sights. She was searching through some random things, when her computer began beeping.

The last time it had done that, it had been when whatever Sari's key had done to it had picked up on something. Deciding to take a risk, Emma hit the enter button, and a website came up. It looked high-tech and, decidedly, top-secret. As in, she had a feeling that, when a password typed in all of its own accord and opened up some files, if she was caught, then she was going to be going to jail for the rest of her life.

The file that came up was titled Access 304, and it contained a particularly disturbing newspaper clipping from the year 2028 that appeared to have never been published - that's what the file information read.

And, as Emma sat back and read it, feeling stunned, she could well understand _why_...

* * *

**DETROIT TERRORIZED BY SLAYINGS**

**It was only seventeen years ago that the city of Detroit was the hunting ground for a violent and vicious serial killer targeting escorts. The bodies of women were found stuffed into the trunks of cars, some of them set ablaze.**

**And now a beleaguered Detroit must face the possibility that it could be harbouring an even more horrifying monster at this very moment.**

**The police are not yet calling this recent rash of homicides the work of a serial killer, reluctant to believe that so much carnage could be the work of just one individual. If it is, in fact, just one person, then they are responsible for seventy-two linked disappearances and homicides within the last six months alone, many of which have been kept quiet by the Detroit police. With such a frightening prospect at our very doorstep, and the sheer mass of victims, it is possible that we are looking at one of the most violent rampages of a serial murderer in American history.**

**There appears to be no particular choice in the killer's victims - ranging from eleven-year-old school girl Maya Walkers, to forty-two-year-old music store owner Paul Richards. The linked deaths include a nearly even thirty-four men and thirty-eight women, and they are racially diverse. Whilst there have been reported findings of sexual assault on a small number of the teenaged female victims, this does not appear to be the killer's main focus.**

**So, why even consider a serial killer?**

**There are enough similarities in these events to rule out unrelated crimes, the most significant being that all attacks happened at night, with no incidents occurring during daylight hours. This has led Detroit Police to issue a strict curfew on the city, putting an end to the nightlife and culture that had recently become a part of this once bustling city.**

**Then, perhaps most chilling, is the cause of death, and this appears to be the reasons the police units are attempting to keep the nature of these attacks quiet.**

**All of the victims, regardless of age or gender, have been found with small, deep holes at the sides of their necks, indicating bite marks. And, all of the victims died of the same cause - sudden and rapid blood-loss, with nearly no other visible wounds on their bodies except for the marks on their necks.**

**Which leads us to question what we're dealing with here, and to explore the seemingly impossible - do Vampires really exist?**

**It seems absurd, but when the search for DNA and evidence left behind at the scene of one of these horrific crimes leads to nothing, we can only assume the worst case scenario.**

**Something hideous - and possibly supernatural - is stalking the streets of Detroit after dark...will our city ever be safe again?**

* * *

Emma scanned the page again, feeling numb, before she checked the footnotes on the page, written by the police, and nearly died.

She quickly began opening up the files, that contained images and records of the victims. She opened them up, one after the other, her computer going slower and slower because she didn't close any of the pages down after she'd opened them.

The last three folders were linked - her computer had thought ahead of her and found what she was looking for.

Emma didn't want to open the linked files, but she knew that she had to.

Shaking now, Emma opened up the pages.

The first one was for a Japanese immigrant, a restaurant-owner. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and looked like the Gangnam Style guy. He had gone by the name of Hiroshi Fuyano. He was survived by his wife of nine years, Michiru Fuyano.

"No..." Emma whispered, biting down hard on the knuckle of her left index-finger.

The second one was for the journalist that had written the article - she made victim number seventy-three. She had been a very beautiful Indian woman, with long dark brown hair and beautiful dark eyes. She wore a beautiful jeweled locket. She was Saipriya Sumdac, and she was survived by her husband of thirty years, Isaac Sumdac.

"Oh, no..." Emma muttered, her heart hammering in her chest. Tears had filled her eyes, and she didn't realise just how hard she was biting down on her hand.

She read the last one.

It was perhaps the worst one of them all.

A blonde-haired, blue-grey-eyed baby girl, just fifteen months old, killed in her cot only to be discovered by her distraught parents the next morning.

The baby girl's name had been Angie, and her parents names were...Victoria and Sai Greys.

Emma closed her eyes, and let the tears fall unhindered now. She ignored the blood trickling down her left hand, now, as she sobbed silently.

How? How could this have _happened_? The Vampires were more than just evil to be doing this...they were _beyond_ evil...

It had happened before, and it was happening now. Emma suddenly understood

Emma opened her eyes, taking her hand away from her mouth and glancing at the bite-mark. What would it feel like, to have all of your blood drained away from you? Emma shuddered.

And, just then, she heard Aquilla's high-pitched shriek.

* * *

Prowl was following Sentimel Prime towards the Tigatron Stadium. He had suspected that Sentinel had not captured Lugnut; Blitzwing and two Starscream clones all on his own. Optimus had mentioned seeing Yoketron's helmet...could it be...?

Prowl hadn't been entirely sure, so he'd enlisted Jazz for help. Despite the fact that he and Jazz were rivals for love (their target being the same girl, that just so happened to be half Transformer, as well), they had worked well together. Prowl even, begrudgingly, considered Jazz to be a friend - they were similar to a positive and a negative interacting with each other, or like two planets revolving around the same sun (Emma).

Prowl entered the stadium alone, knowing that Jazz was on the way with backup.

He looked below, and saw Sentinel approaching two figures - one was definitely another Starscream clone, but the other...?

As Prowl was contemplating this, he suddenly saw something that made his spark seem to falter.

The unknown figure's shadow was expanding, and a shape was emerging from it - it was like a scene straight out of a nightmare.

The new figure also appeared to be holding something under each arm, and Prowl narrowed his optics, trying to get a better view of them.

He suddenly gasped.

One of the figures began struggling, and the audible cry of Aquilla could be heard, followed by Audrey's sobbing.

"_Mamma_!" They cried out, in unison.

A figure suddenly shot past Prowl on rollerblades, jumping out into mid-air with more speed and grace than seemed possible for a human - except, she wasn't entirely human now, was she?

Emma made sure to strike Sentinel's shoulder with the wheels of her blade. When she landed, she pointed to him and yelled: "_Traitor_!" Before turning to glare at the Vampire. "Let. My. Daughters. Go." She growled, through gritted teeth.

The Vampire was a woman - a beautiful one, but the large fangs and bat-wings gave her a demonic appearance. Her red eyes suddenly glittered.

Prowl, approaching rapidly from behind, saw as the vampire dropped the twins, and disappeared into the ground, only to reappear behind Emma and trap her in an embrace.

"I just so _love_ your kind, my darling," she hissed, in a thick, Transylvanian accent, picking up Emma's bleeding hand and licking it. "Spilling all that red, lovely, rich, luscious blood..." She suddenly noticed Prowl, and smirked. "Oh, but your spark-partner's getting jealous...well, I've served my purpose...for now..." She vanished into the ground again.

Emma suddenly got a chill, and remembered the nightmares she had been having before. Those were caused by the Vampire she had just met!

The twins ran to Emma and she embraced them, as Prowl transformed and stood between Emma and the Decepticons.

Lockdown had taken off Master Yoketron's helmet, revealing himself as the bounty-hunter for the first time.

"Hello there." Ramjet said to Emma.

"Zip it, white-boy." She snapped back, as Audrey and Aquilla sobbed into her skirt - she hadn't even had time to change out of the around-the-house clothes that she'd been wearing! "Hey, it's okay, you two, shh..."

As Emma comforted her twins, and Prowl grilled Sentinel, the Starscream clone (Ramjet) attacked, knocking Sentinel to the ground and slapping the stasis-cuffs on him, which he held onto!

"What the...?!" Sentinel cried. He glared at Lockdown. "Hey! We had a deal!"

"Sorry, but he offered me a _better_ deal." Lockdown smirked. He was wearing Master Yoketron's helmet again, which angered both Emma and Prowl. "More upgrades and energon. Still, I gotta thank you for this." He nodded to Emma and the twins.

Ramjet smirked.

Sentinel gasped. "Oh no, I'm being picked up!" He cried, as he was carried away. "Heeeelp!"

Prowl used his jet-pack to take off after them, and grabbed onto them, but Lockdown jumped up and grabbed onto _him_, dragging him back down to earth!

The two of them exchanged blows, with Lockdown insulting Prowl's cyber-ninja moves, and then displaying a few of his own.

"So, it's true!" Prowl faced him. "You _are_ a former student of Master Yoketron's..." He glanced at Emma, and she met his gaze from where she still was, holding onto her daughters.

"Never cared much for his spiritual crud," Lockdown admitted, uncaringly. "But I _did_ like that helmet..." He glanced over at Emma, as well. "You should've just let me go my own way, kid - I never wanted to become your enemy the way I had to, back on the jungle planet."

"Don't you _dare_ try to place the blame on me, Lockdown!" Emma yelled to him. "You should have just come back to Cybertron anyway - I think you actually _wanted_ to become a bounty-hunter!" She glared at him. "That Vampire just offered you the perfect excuse..."

"Emma, what are you talking about?" Prowl wanted to know.

"He's half vampire, Prowl!" Emma told him, and watched as his optics widened slightly in realisation. "I had to cut the Venom out of him myself, because that's the only way to avoid becoming a _full_ Vampire! That's why he was working with the Succubus - _she's_ a full-blooded Vampire...umm, a Creation-Vampire?" She guessed.

Lockdown nodded. "I'm surprised you remember that far back, kid. Anything else?"

Emma clenched her fists. "Yeah. I also remember you leading the attack that took Master Yoketron offline, Lockdown."

Prowl gasped. "That was _him_?!" He looked at Lockdown. "That was _you_?!"

"If my first act as a bounty-hunter _was_ betraying my..._sacred sensei_, everything since...has been easy." Lockdown replied, smirking.

"Mummy, what's a sensei?" Audrey whispered, as Prowl attacked Lockdown.

"It's a teacher, honey." Emma replied, looking up, as Jetfire and Jetstorm arrived to attack Ramjet in mid-air.

Just then, a voice seemed to come from everywhere. It was Succubus. "Lockdown, darling, I have orders from our Lord...you take the little girls, and I get to have fun with their Mother..."

"Do as you will, just be careful with her." Lockdown replied calmly. "She's not as strong as she once was."

Shadows suddenly starting wrapping up from below Emma and, thinking fast, she pushed her girls away from her.

"_MUMMY_!" They shrieked, as Emma began to disappear into the blackness.

"_I'll be okay_!" Emma screamed.

The scream alerted everybody that was watching - all of the Autobots gasped, and even Ramjet looked a little bit shocked.

Lockown, however, was still calm.

"I wouldn't be looking over there if I were you." He warned Prowl, and continued his attacks, as Emma's hand disappeared into the earth...

* * *

Emma opened her eyes, to find herself floating in black space. It was dark and cold, wherever she was.

Succubus floated in front of her, her ruby eyes glittering. She was dressed in skimpy black clothing befitting of her name, and wore a familiar-looking pendant around her neck.

Emma gasped.

"I had so much _fun_ giving you those nightmares, darling," the she-demon smirked. "It will be such a _shame_ when you become a Vampire, but that's how these things go..." She spread her wings out on either side of you. "Now, we just wait here, until my Lord Fhantom arrives..."

Emma stared at her for a second, and then tried to move, but found that she couldn't. She struggled with her mind again, but couldn't overcome the paralyzation.

Succubus laughed. "I control _everything_ in this dream-scape, didn't you know?" She disappeared, and then reappeared behind Emma, with her lips resting against the side of the woman's neck. "I can even invade your memories...I wonder..." She placed a hand, with long red fingernails, over Emma's eyes. "Don't you _want_ to become a Vampire? We have _so_ much fun...weren't you always teased and outcasted at school, and at home you were treated like a child? As a Vampire, you'll be strong and beautiful (though, bot as beautiful as me). Maybe you can even turn your beloved spark-partner into a Vampire? Then, you two can spend an _eternity_ together? How about that? Come on, tell me what you think - I'll let you speak."

Emma suddenly found that she was able to speak again, and the first words out of her mouth were: "I would _never_..."

Succubus searched her thoughts, and then laughed, again. "Oh, come now, he won't mind - I'm sure you two would make such lovely Vampires together, darling." Her lips travelled up to Emma's ear. "And, if not, then there's always my brother. I'm sure you know of whom I speak, hmm?" She whispered. "He so _enjoyed_ having fun with those teenaged girls..."

Emma thought about this, and then tried to shudder - she couldn't.

Succubus was enjoying this. "It won't be long, darling...then, you can join your precious Mother..."

Emma's eyes opened wide. Her Mother?! Which Mother?! Earth Mum or Teraminian Mum?! What did Succubus _mean_?!

Succubus assessed this, and then said: "Oh, you mean you really don't recall?" She appeared in front of Emma, again. "I have tasted your blood, and I have tasted her energon - you're Princess Angel, the daughter of Queen Alythia...she is...one of my Master's most _faithful_ servants..." She smirked.

Emma's heart nearly stopped. Queen Alythia, the Teraminian Queen, was a Vampire now?!

Fear and panic flooded through Emma's body, which amused Succubus.

The sound of the Vampire's laughter brought back painful memories for Emma but, rather than making her feel worse, they suddenly did something..._different_...

Strength coursed through Emma like wildfire, welling up inside of her being. The All-Spark began to glow at her chest.

_This is a dream...I can be in control of it...I AM in control of it!_

Succubus stopped laughing, and tilted her head to one side. "Darling, what are you...?"

Emam suddenly lashed out, able to move again as she punched the Succubus directly to the face.

Succubus staggered back, and clutched her bleeding nose. Her amusement was gone - a mortal had just struck her beautiful face!

Succubus snarled, a fierce, animalistic growl, and clenched her fists, digging her claws into her palms and drawing black blood. She swiftly transformed, assuming her terrifying true form, which was closer to demon than seductress, and covered in metal and scales.

Succubus threw her head back, and roared. Her sheer size was overwhelming.

Emma gulped, and turned and rollerbladed away. _If...if only a Transformer was here...hey, wait a minute...I _am_ a Transformer...apparently..._

Succubus was gaining on her, running on all fours. She seemed to have forgotten that she could just disappear and appear wherever she pleased, blinded by her rage and fury.

_I changed the forms of the Jet-Twins, and of Sentinel Prime, too..._ Emma thought, suddenly stopping as she realised this. _Could I...maybe...change my own form, too?_

She didn't know...she tried to focus on what she knew Angel looked like...big and silver, with wings, and a tiara...

_This is just a dream..._ Emma reminded herself, as her body began to shimmer, and Succubus was almost upon her. _I can be whatever I want...in my dreams!_

The colour and light exploded around her, as her form shifted and changed, and she spun around, no longer a human, but a Transformer.

_You don't scare me, you big monster!_

Angel met Succubus head-on, directing all of the light of the All-Spark into the she-demon's eyes, making the monster scream with pain and fury.

_I'm going to wake up now, and that's final!_

The light expanded, and Angel transformed back into Emma, as she found herself floating once again over the stadium.

She looked down, and realised that it was because Prowl was directly beneath her, using Processor-Over-Matter to also levitate some concrete that had been about to fall on them all.

Emma gasped. Prowl had finally mastered Processor-Over-Matter!

As she was lowered back to earth, she saw that everybody was staring at her and Prowl. Aquilla was sitting on Jetstorm's shoulder, and Audrey was sitting on Jetfire's shoulder.

Jazz and Optimus looked relieved.

As Optimus put stasis-cuffs on Ramjet, and Lockdown escaped in his ship, Prowl put out his hands and Emma landed gracefully within them.

They looked at each other, unable to put their feelings into words, and so she just leaned forwards and hugged him around the neck with all the strength she could muster.

"That armor looks good on you, this time around." She whispered to him. "And, you finally mastered Processor-Over-Matter - you're a _real_ cyber-ninja, now."

He chuckled, softly, one hand on her back. "I'm happy with your approval."

Suddenly, Sentinel's muffled voice called for help. They all looked over to see his head and arms buried in the dirt - he was trapped!

Aquilla and Audrey began giggling.

Jetfire and Jetstorm began to move to help Sentinel, but Emma hissed: "Don't you two _dare_!"

They exchanged a glance.

"Mummy, is Sentinel a bad boy for what he did?" Aquilla called.

Emma smiled. "No, sweetspark, he's just plain weird."

"I heard that!"

Emma just continued to smile, as she looked at the locket around her neck. It had appeared there after her fight with the Succubus.

She knew _just_ what she was going to do with it...

* * *

"What's this?" Sari asked, looking at the small jewelry box.

"An early birthday present, kiddo." Emma replied, smiling at her. "It's a necklace." She added.

"Oh, right, before I forget," Sari took off the yellow crystal that Emma had given her. "Thank you but, I don't believe I'll be needing it anymore." She smiled over at her Father.

Emma nodded, and returned the calming crystal to her own neck.

Sari then opened the jewelry box, and lifted out the pendant. "Oh, wow, it's gorgeous!" She cried.

Isaac's eyes widened, as he stared at the piece of jewelry. "Wh-where did you _get_ this?" He whispered, touching a finger to the pendant's many bejeweled front.

Emma glanced at Sari, and then at Isaac. She said: "It's from Saipriya."


	25. Black Jack

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

ringo-tensai - yes, drama is good. :) And, there's some SarixBee moments in here, too, by the way.

AllSpark Princess - I kinda hope she ends up with Prowl, too, but nobody knows these things for certain! XD The website is...gone. T.T Just type in some key-words for the dresses in chapter six, and you'll be sure to find something.

pokemonjkl - here's the update! ^^

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Black Jack

* * *

"Hey, Emma?" Sari grinned slyly, looking a lot like her old eight-year-old self.

Emma knew that look all too well. "_What_?" She asked, suspiciously. "What did you do?!"

"Well...I kind of said that you would sing at the reopening of Mama Fuyano's restaurant tomorrow." Sari explained, and Emma's mouth fell open. Sari hurried on: "Oh, and I also borrowed your computer for the sleepover!"

"You _what_?!" Emma yelled.

"I borrowed your computer."

"Not that part, the other part!" Emma stared at Sari. "I can't sing in _public_!"

"Sure you can - you sang at EvƎ, didn't you?" Sari reminded her.

Emma blushed. "Th-that was different..." She sighed. "I got into a situation I couldn't get out of."

"Like what?" Sari wanted to know.

Emma's shoulders slumped. "If I lost that sing-dance-off to Ailyshia, then Charlie and her friends basically promised to make your life a living Hell, and to pursue the Autobots to no ends. Oh, and I also had to stop being friends with them all."

Sari stared at her. "Jeez, you did all of that for us?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, and also because I wanted to stay friends with the Autobots. They're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Sari smiled. "I agree completely. Well, thanks for telling me that - but, you _still_ have to sing tomorrow!"

"Sari!"

* * *

Everybody was excited about the reopening of Mama Fuyano's, especially Mama Fuyano herself.

Emma knew why, although she didn't say. She was still reeling a bit from her discovery. The Vampires had killed so many people...why? What gave them the _right_ to...?

To distract herself from this, Emma threw herself into the opening ceremony. Nearly everybody was going to be coming, with the obvious exception of Sentinel.

Sari and Flora were excited at the chance to wear kimonos, and the twins had cute little kimonos as well - gifts from Victoria, of course!

And, there was a surprise for Mama Fuyano's workers, as well - brand new uniforms!

Sari was upstairs in her room when the Autobots arrived at Sumdac Tower on the day of her birthday. Miko; Kerry; Sakura; Zakuro and Aiko were helping Sari and Flora with their kimonos.

Aquilla and Audrey were already dressed in theirs - Aquilla's was grey and purple, and Audrey's was grey and pink.

Emma, in her new pink and white uniform, took the girls by their hands and went downstairs and outside, to where the Autobots were waiting.

"Jetfire! Jetstorm!" Aquilla and Audrey called, waving, and surprising Emma when they did so and the Jet-Twins waved back. Since when did the twins get so chummy with the twins?

Emma walked with her twins over to where Jazz and Prowl were standing, looking totally cool and totally at ease.

"Hey, guys." Emma greeted them, aware of the hand that Audrey was hanging onto. The rings suddenly felt like they were made of lead weights.

"Hello." Prowl said, smiling.

"Yo, Ems," Jazz grinned at her. "Digging the new uniform."

Emma blushed. "Really?"

Jazz nodded. "It suits you, sweetspark."

Prowl coughed quietly, and Emma sighed.

"What about me?!" Aquilla and Audrey said in unison.

Jazz laughed. "You look cute too." He assured them.

That reminded Emma of something. Excusing herself, she flitted over to Bumblebee, and said: "Bumblebee, when Sari comes out, you make sure you say something nice about her kimono, you got it?" She pointed sternly at him.

Bumblebee blinked in surprise. "Huh? Why?"

Emma gave him a Look, and then looked at Bulkhead. "Bulky, show him how it's done, okay?" She suggested, as Miko came running out.

The Japanese girl nearly tripped, but managed to catch herself on a nearby pillar.

"Be careful, Miko!" Bulkhead said, immediately. "You'll get your uniform dirty!"

"Do you think it looks okay, or could it use some dirt?" Miko asked, skipping over to him.

Bulkhead looked down at her. "Uh, it would probably look good anyway, but even so..."

Miko grinned. "Aww, you're so sweet, big guy!" She pretended to punch his arm.

Emma looked pointedly at Bumblebee. "There, you see?"

Bumblebee didn't look convinced, until Sari came out of the tower, and Bumblebee's expression changed.

Emma thought she knew why. The soft orange sunset kimono looked _perfect_ on Sari, and the girls had done her hair up for her. Emma had the sudden urge to make Sari wear a sari...

Sari looked around, spotted Bumblebee, and paused.

Bumblebee glanced at Emma, and then looked back at Sari, and said: "Hey, Sari!"

"Yes?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

"Your...your hair looks good...today!" Bumblebee told her.

Emma face-palmed, and Miko took the opportunity to kick Bumblebee's leg. This was going to be harder than they'd thought...

* * *

"How did I let her talk me into this?" Emma wondered out-loud, standing up on the stage and watching Mama Fuyano, whom was holding a pair of scissors, which she aimed at the red ribbon in the doorway of her new restaurant.

Mama Fuyano cut the ribbon, and everybody cheered.

Then, as one, they turned to the stage, and looked expectantly at Emma.

Emma cringed.

She glanced out at the crowd, and spotted Prowl and Jazz, along with the Jet-Twins, and her own twins.

"Go Mummy!" Aquilla shouted suddenly, and everybody laughed.

Emma, relaxing slightly, nodded to the music-bots, and they began to play the music that had been programmed into them, and Emma began to sing.

"_Tonight is such a beautiful crescent moon...changing each day, each night, shining brighter..._"

* * *

The reopening of Mama Fuyano's was a huge success, and mama Fuyano and her workers were hard at work in the kitchens and out. Emma sung for a lot of it, singing sometimes in English and sometimes in Japanese, and taking breaks every now and then and letting the kids use the stage to play.

During one such break, Emma sat down on a chair, and immediately a cup of iced tea was there, along with Jazz.

"Thank you." Emma accepted the tea gratefully, and drank. "I mean, _arigatoo_."

Jazz grinned, and sat down next to her. "You dunno how much I missed hearing those sweet songs, Em."

Emma blushed, again. "Oh, come on, I'm not _that_ good - I was never able to sing before I came to this world." She added.

Jazz chuckled. "I find _that_ hard to believe - you got style, sweetspark."

Emma laughed. "Oh, flatterer," she looked at him. "Do you practice this or does it just come naturally?" She snapped her fingers. "No, wait, you were _always_ like this, right?"

He grinned. "So, you _do_ remember?"

"I have a hunch." She replied, and then she nearly choked on her drink.

Jazz looked at her, startled, and then followed her gaze. He saw what she was looking at - Flora, getting into the familiar dark green car...

Jazz started to stand, but Emma grabbed his arm. "No, wait, let her go..." She coughed. "He won't hurt her...poor Flora..." She added, though. "She's going to be okay, I think..."

"You sure?" Jazz asked her.

Emma nodded, looking sad. "Yeah...I think Wasp feels for her what you and Prowl feel for me..."

"Not possible." Jazz said immediately, and Emma blushed, again.

Just then, another red-faced girl stomped up to them, but the colour on her cheeks was because she was angry.

"I can't _believe_ him!" Sari exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "He is _so_ insensitive!"

"Who?" Emma and Jazz asked in unison, though they both had a feeling that they knew.

"Bumblebee!" Sari snapped. She turned her head, to where Bumblebee was showing off for a bunch of girls. "This is _my_ birthday, so he should be hanging out with _me_ since we're best friends and all!" She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Wait, did that sound too selfish?"

"No, Sari," Emma shook her head. "Not on your birthday, and not on _any_ day..." She was suddenly struck by an idea, one that formed upon thinking about Flora, and the stage, and the Affection Contest last year...

Emma thought her idea to Jazz, and he grinned and gave her the thumbs up. Jazz went off in search of Bumblebee, and Emma grabbed Sari's hand and yanked her up towards the stage.

"What are we...?" Sari wanted to know.

"_You'll_ see." Emma grinned. "Hey, you remember the lyrics to _this_ song, don't you?" She whispered the name into Sari's ear.

Sari's blue eyes widened. "What? No, no way, I can't!"

"Yes you will!"

* * *

"We were both young when I first saw you.

I close my eyes and the flashback starts:

I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air..."

Bumblebee heard Emma start to sing and, while he loved her voice, today it did not interest him. He had been doing a few impressions of various bots back on Cybertron, hoping that Sari was watching, but now she seemed to have disappeared.

Where could she be, and why was she angry with him?

Girls could be so sensitive sometimes!

Just then, Bumblebee's eyes widened, and he turned very quickly towards the stage when he heard a _second_ voice start to sing!

This voice was different from Emma's - it was higher and sweeter, or at least to Bumblebee's ears it was.

The voice belonged to Sari, and she was singing:

"See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.

See you make your way through the crowd

And say, "Hello,"

Little did I know..."

Bumblebee couldn't _believe_ it - Sari looked so different standing up there on the stage and singing like that! Gone was the short and tomboyish little girl that he had first met! She was older now, and had become a young woman...she was _beautiful_.

It was at this moment that Bumblebee realised this.

Sari was still singing:

"That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

And I was crying on the staircase

Begging you, "Please don't go"

And I said..."

Emma joined in:

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.

I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run.

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"."

As Emma picked up the second verse by herself, Jazz was at Bumblebee's side.

"Yo, Bee," the Elite Guard bot said. "You gonna get a bit closer, or what?"

Bumblebee looked startled. "What, oh, no I was just gonna stay here and...?"

Jazz grinned, and began pushing Bumblebee gently but firmly through the crowd and towards the stage.

"So I sneak out to the garden to see you.

We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while.

Oh, oh."

Sari noticed Bumblebee being pushed closer by Jazz, and her spark started to pound a little bit. What was Jazz doing?

She tried not to let her voice shake as she sung:

"'cause you were Romeo - I was a scarlet letter,

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

But you were everything to me,

I was begging you, "Please don't go"

And I said..."

The two girls sang the chorus.

Prowl was watching from afar, watching Emma up there onstage, and he couldn't help but smile. He had read the story of Romeo And Juliet from a book in the library - it was a good story, albeit a little tragic. He hoped he would have a happier ending with Emma than what Romeo had with Juliet.

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.

I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run.

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess.

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"."

Miko and Bulkhead were watching from the crowd, and grinning. Bulkhead carefully reached out to take Miko's hand, but Aquilla and Audrey got between them, and pointed excitedly to their Mother.

Bulkhead sighed, but smiled. Oh well.

"Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel.

This love is difficult but it's real.

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes".

Oh, oh."

Emma exchanged a glance with Jazz, and he was looking at her, as he moved Bumblebee into position.

Emma smiled slightly, and moved so that she was now standing closer to the stage.

Sari gave her a glance, and then moved closer to her.

They were now standing on the edge of the stage just abouts.

Sari sang:

"I got tired of waiting

Wondering if you were ever coming around.

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town.

And I said..."

As she sang, she thought about Bumblebee, and her spark ached. How could he be standing right there, looking up at her, and yet she felt like they were thousands of miles apart?

Suddenly, Sari felt Emma's hand on her shoulder, and then the older girl turned her around to face her, before pushing her...right off the stage!

Sari gasped as she fell, but she was suddenly caught by a pair of strong, familiar arms...

Sari looked up into Bumblebee's face, and blushed.

Emma was grinning now, as she sang:

"Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone.

I keep waiting for you but you never come.

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think.

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said..."

It was at this point where Sari, not knowing what came over her, suddenly leaned up and...kissed Bumblebee, right on the lips and right there in front of everybody!

Bumblebee looked startled for a second, before he kissed her back, and everybody around them began to cheer. Sari clearly heard Miko's cheers above all the rest, as Emma continued to sing, her voice full of happiness:

"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.

I love you, and that's all I really know.

I talked to your dad ‒ go pick out a white dress

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes".

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

'cause we were both young when I first saw you..."

* * *

It was a better situation than any of them could ever have planned for - Sari and Bumblebee were finally together!

Isaac, understandably, was a little bit shocked at first, but he could hardly say anything to Sari on her birthday.

He just made Emma and the others girls promise to keep an eye on things for a little while...

* * *

Emma would have felt weird going to Sari's party and sleepover, since she was seven years older than Sari and all. However, it was okay, since she and Sari were like sisters, and they shared the same friends, as well. The Autobots had agreed to watch the twins for that night, leaving Emma to not worry. Prowl and Jazz had promised to keep them safe, not that they expected any Vampires to show up, but nobody really ever knew _what_ was going to happen nowadays...

They had made another booking at a riverside restaurant not far from Sari's place. The girls were all happy to have a girls-night-out - it was like a coming-of-age thing for Sari, after all!

They all started out at Sumdac Tower - Sari; Emma; Miko; Flora (they had convinced her to come); Sakura; Aiko; Zakuro and Kerry walked the short distance from the tower to _Han's Chish And Fips_. It was a fairly warm evening for November, and they decided to take advantage of it.

They were all dressed up but not _too_ dressed up - this meant skinny jeans and cool t-shirts and knee-length dresses.

The restaurant turned out to be great, with just one problem...

"Okay," Han himself grinned, as the girls sat down at their table. "If you'd like to go and choose your lobsters."

The girls exchanged a glance, and then looked to where Han was pointing at a huge glass tank filled with bright red crustaceans. To the girls, it just looked like they were saying: 'help me, heeeelp meeee...'.

Flora; Emma; Sakura and Aiko cringed, and said that they'd order something different.

Sari, however, had never had lobster before, and so started to stand up, but Kerry beat her to it.

"Oh, I'll do it." She said. "My Dad's a seafood fisherman - I know my way around a crustacean. Four lobsters coming right up!"

As she walked off, Sari said: "I've never heard her mention her parents before."

"Kerry left home because she couldn't handle their rules." Zakuro said, matter-of-factly. "She learned a lot from them, though."

"That...doesn't make any sense..." Sari replied.

"Sari, I _love_ your necklace," Miko said suddenly, leaning forwards to get a better look. "Where did you get it?"

Sari glanced at Emma, and then said, carefully: "My Dad said it once belonged to...his wife..." The other girls looked surprised. Sari shrugged. "It's kind of weird stuff that happened, but I like it."

Flora was looking at Sari strangely, and that was when Emma remembered that Flora's Dad was the chief of police! Maybe Flora even knew about the cases that had happened, twenty-three years ago...?

Just then, Flora's phone rang, and she answered it quickly. "Hello? What?" Her eyes widened. "Wait, hold on a second, I can't hear you, let me go outside..." She practically ran out of the restaurant.

The others exchanged a glance, just as Kerry came back.

"Where did Flora go?" She wanted to know, sitting back down.

"Oh, she got a phone-call and left while you were over playing God with the lobsters." Miko replied.

"She'll be back soon." Sari replied, confidently and, sure enough, Flora returned a few minutes later.

"What was that all about?" Miko asked straight away.

"That?" Flora blinked. "Oh, uh, just a...telemarketer." She told them. They didn't look convinced. "From...Mumbai." She added, and the girls all nodded knowingly, especially Sari.

As she did, her new earrings jingled.

"Sari!" Miko exclaimed, like she'd only just noticed. "You got new earrings!"

Sari nodded again, making her new earrings jingle - they were shaped like golden flowers with blue centers. "Yeah, they were Bumblebee's present for my birthday." She blushed a little bit.

"Aren't you supposed to wait two months before putting new earrings in?" Flora pointed out.

Sari rolled her eyes - they matched the centers of the flowers perfectly. "I won't tell Ratchet if you won't." She shrugged.

Flora sighed. "It's your funeral." She said, just as her phone rang again, and she left the restaurant to answer it, as their meals came.

Those that were eating lobster also had to wear bibs, to avoid getting any lobster on their clothes! Kerry said this was normal. The bibs had baby lobsters on them.

Flora returned about a minute later.

"Who was that?" Miko wanted to know.

"Wrong number." Flora replied, promptly cracking open the shell of her lobster. "My name is _not_ Eustace."

Miko rolled her eyes, as Emma and Sari exchanged a glance, and then they ate their meals in relative silence.

"So, how come you still wear that thing?" Miko asked Sari, indicating the now drained All-Spark Key.

"What is this, notice Sari's jewelry day?" The teenager rolled her eyes. "Why don't you say something about Emma's bling again?"

"Nah, she's got nothing new since those promise rings." Miko smirked, and then she gasped. "Except _that_!" She lunged across the table, grabbing the chain around Emma's neck, and held the pendant up to the light. "Where did the Decepticon symbol come from?!" She cried.

Everybody in the restaurant was now staring at Emma's chest.

Turning the colour of Sari's hair, Emma snatched her necklace back, and said: "_Damatte no chūmon dezāto o kika sete kudasai_!"

Actually, she sort of screamed it out.

The others stared at her and Miko, and then Kerry muttered: "Um, what?"

"You're kidding?" Sari rolled her eyes again. "You mean to tell me that you work in a Japanese restaurant, and you don't even know what they're saying?" She shook her head. "_Isa duniyā kyā ā rahā hai_?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked.

Aiko waved her hand. "_Don tneun geunyeoleul singyeong_..."

"That's Korean." Miko said, accusingly.

Aiko smiled. "I am a woman of many talents, not just waitressing."

"_Kakogo cherta_...?" Zakuro muttered.

Aiko and Sakura glanced at her.

Zakuro shrugged. "It's Russian. It's the only phrase I know in that language."

The others were giggling by this stage, all except for Flora, as her phone had just rung again and she'd slipped out before anybody noticed.

"We have _got_ to figure out what's going on with her tonight." Miko muttered, and Sari nodded in agreement.

When Flora came back, Miko immediately asked: "Who was that?"

"What is this, ask Flora where her calls are coming from day?" Flora rolled her amber eyes.

"Well?" Miko pressed.

Flora sighed. "That was the state lottery saying I'd won five million dollars, but I told them that I wouldn't know what to do with it all."

Miko gasped. "You _what_?!"

"I'm making it up!"

"Oh."

* * *

Flora left nine times to answer calls once they got back to Sari's place, skipping out halfway through a pillow fight and missing out on _Barbie Girl_ completely (_why_ Emma had that song on her computer, she most of all knew not).

It was the tenth time, however, that she didn't come back and, ten minutes later, Sari had to organize a search party within the tower.

The search lasted a good few hours - wherever Flora was, she certainly didn't want to be found.

They stopped, however, upon feeling a shudder in the earth, and then seeing a green glow out in the direction of Lake Eyrie.

"Oh no..." Emma muttered.

Emma was the one that found Flora, sitting in the little garden out the back, and sobbing. It was about three o'clock in the morning.

"Flora, what's wrong?" Emma wanted to know, hurrying over to her. She _hated_ seeing people crying!

Flora looked up at her, her face tear-strained. "Oh, Emma, something _terrible's_ happened!" She flung her arms around the older girl and sobbed into her chest.

Emma's arms instinctively came up to comfort the teenager. "It's Wasp, isn't it?" She whispered.

Flora nodded. "Don't ask me how I know..." Her voice was muffled. "I just _do_...I can sense it, in my chest, that something bad has happened to him..."

Emma couldn't say anything for, of course she knew, that Flora was right. She didn't need confirmation from anybody to tell her that. And, what about Blackarachnia? What had happened to her?

Emma looked up, and was startled to see Mama Fuyano standing there.

"Come, Flora." Mama Fuyano said, gently but firmly, and guided the young girl away.

"No, wait!" Flora turned back to Emma, and looked right into her eyes. "He kissed me." She said clearly and Emma, despite herself, gasped softly. "He's the only guy that ever has..." She burst into a fresh wave of sobs, and allowed herself to be guided away.

As Mama Fuyano left, she handed Emma a card, and Emma took a look at it.

It showed a pale-skinned man, and he was leaning over the neck of a fair-skinned woman. Fangs glittered in his mouth.

Emma had barely registered that Mama Fuyano had a card from the Vampire Tarot and that the lights had just dimmed, when a huge shape leapt out of the shadows, and hit her full-force.

* * *

Prowl and Jazz both sensed the fear that struck into Emma's spark, as it hit their own in a ghostly way.

They didn't even have to say anything - they just took off in the direction of Sumdac Tower, and Bulkhead followed them, leaving Ratchet with both sets of twins. Along the way, they met up with Optimus and Bumblebee.

_What's going on_?! Optimus noticed that Prowl was speeding.

_Something's happening to Emma!_ Prowl replied. _We have to get to her, now!_

_How do you guys know that?_ Bumblebee asked. _I mean, it could just be that they're telling scary stories at the slammer-party!_

_If it were Sari, you'd know, too._ Prowl replied, and Bumblebee shut up.

Sumdac Tower loomed up ahead.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed throughout the neighbourhood, sending chills through each of the five Autobots.

Sakura; Zakuro; Aiko and Kerry were waiting out the front of the tower, looking terrified.

"A huge monster showed up and attacked Emma!" Sakura cried, pointing north-east.

Prowl and Jazz took off without another moment's hesitation!

"Sari went to help her!" Aiko added, and it was Bumblebee's turn to speed off in that direction.

"Plus, Miko went to watch!" Kerry informed them, and Bumblebee took off in the wake of the other three.

Zakuro looked up at Optimus, and he seemed annoyed. "Trust me, I know _just_ how you feel, Optimus-San." She informed him.

Optimus nodded, and transformed, taking off after the others.

He'd already lost somebody tonight, he wasn't going to lose anybody else!

* * *

When Optimus arrived, he took in the situation.

Bulkhead was with Miko; Sari and Bumblebee were standing back-to-back and looking all around them, and Emma was with the two cyber-ninja.

Miko was wearing an old baseball t-shirt and shorts as her pajamas. Emma's was a long white silk dress. Sari had her full Cybertronian-armor on, and looked ready for battle. The trouble was...

All of them seemed to be trying to locate the monster.

As Optimus transformed, Miko looked over to him.

She gasped. "Prime, look out!" She screamed, and Optimus felt the claws on his back a split second later, and he barely dodged in time, as black a shape darted out of the wall behind him, and into another one.

The shadows seemed to move around it, and gather to where it suddenly vanished.

Optimus gasped, quickly putting up his face-mask, and looking all around him.

"Prime, over here!" Prowl called to him, and Optimus hurried over to where the others were all standing crowded under a streetlight.

"Okay, what _is_ that thing?!" Optimus wanted to know. This was just _not_ his night!

"A Vampire." Emma and Prowl said in unison. They exchanged a glance.

"_Cool_..." Miko breathed.

Emma face-palmed.

"Are you sure?" Optimus asked Prowl.

Prowl nodded. "Mmhmm. It's a lot like the one from before..."

Optimus looked at him.

"He means the one that killed the news reporter, Scarlet Garcia." Emma explained. Her heart was hammering in her chest - she was _really_ scared. "Prowl and I faced it months ago, but Soundwave killed it."

Sari gasped. "What?"

"Never mind," Optimus said quickly. "How did Soundwave kill the other one?"

"He had to get it straight through the head." Prowl explained.

"Because, Vampires have no Spark." Emma added.

"Which means, we gotta get a hit on that thing straight to the processor, dig?" Jazz clarified.

"Yeah, except it can move in and out of the shadows." Emma shuddered. "That's how it snuck up on me..."

"We're safe as long as we're in the light, but as soon as we move out..." Miko looked around.

"It attacks." Bulkhead finished.

"Which means, we have to lure it to a place where we can get a clean shot at its head." Optimus realised. He looked around. "Who's fast enough for that?"

"Ooh, ooh, me, me!" Bumblebee raised his hand wildly.

Optimus sighed. "Are you sure, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee nodded, confidently. "Sure I'm sure - fastest thing on wheels, remember?" He bragged.

"Still, I can't help but think that it must be _after_ something..." Optimus mused, and then his optics landed on Emma.

Emma nodded. "It's after me..." She frowned. "The Vampires have been...after me for awhile...there's something _familiar_ about all of this, ah but _why_?" She suddenly looked at Bumblebee. "Take me with you - we'll have more of a chance to draw that thing out if we go together."

Bumblebee nodded, and picked her up, setting her down on his left shoulder.

Prowl and Jazz looked like they wanted to protest, but what choice did they have? Emma thought her plan to them, and they relayed it through a com-link as Bumblebee set out quickly, out of the safety zone.

At once, the shadows began to shift and follow them.

"Remember Bee, just like playing a video game!" Sari called to them, as the shadows began to grow. "And...duck!"

Bumblebee did, as the Vampire went arcing over his and Emma's heads. It landed in the wall on the opposite side of them, and Bumblebee ducked and weaved his way through it, as the others followed.

Once in a more open area, the Vampire had less options. As the others showed up, Emma jumped from Bumblebee to Prowl, and the monster followed her. Prowl jumped high out of the way, and Emma jumped away from him in mid-jump, and Jazz caught her.

Miko and Sari watched from afar as this was continued with Emma and the other Autobots. Miko and Sari stood under the safety of a streetlight.

"They're learning that thing's movements!" Miko grinned.

"Yes, but _it's_ also learning _theirs_." Sari analyzed. She was seeing the battle almost as if in slow-motion, which surprised her. Hey, maybe this wasn't so hard after all?

Just then, the moon went behind a cloud and, its shadows all gone, the Vampire _finally_ revealed itself.

It was about the size of a large dog, or maybe even a wolf, and seemed to resemble one. It had large claws, and was covered in black metal.

Its red optics glowed, as it let out a terrible shriek, and then it began to circle them, finally closing in on Prowl!

"Prowl, watch out!" Emma shouted, and leapt from Jazz's shoulder before he could stop her.

Time seemed to go in slow-motion for Emma, too, as she leapt her way in between Prowl and the Vampire.

She felt the terribly cold metal of the Vampire touch her skin, and then razor-sharp fangs ripped into her dress, piercing the right-side of her belly and sinking in deep.

Emma screamed, a long, drawn-out scream, as the Vampire tossed her high into the air.

Miko and Sari screamed, Prowl let out a yell of shock. Jazz was frozen in place. Bumblebee; Optimus and Bulkhead could only stare in horror at what had just unfolded.

Vampires were powerful and fast and strong. They had taken one on - and, they had lost.

Those on the ground hadn't seen what the Vampire had done, however. They didn't know what Emma knew.

And, all Emma could think as she was suspended there in mid-air, maybe for only a split second or maybe for a hundred days, was: _It bit me_.

Time then seemed to return to normal, and a pair of cool arms suddenly wrapped around Emma.

Those endless black eyes stared down at Emma, and glistening white fangs shone in the now returned moonlight. The voice was polite and calm. "Well, well, well...what do we have _here_, now, hmm?" Said Lord Fhantom...


	26. Dream-Scape

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Adult themes

. Low level violence

. Low level sexual references

. Low level drug references

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

AllSpark Princess - hehe, _you'll_ see...

Taeniaea - thank you! ^^

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Dream-Scape

* * *

A lone bot drove through the dark streets of Detroit, purposely avoiding the crowded streets. A familiar song played through his radio - the otherworldly Amy Lee sang about the element Lithium.

Lockdown was only half-listening to the music - most of his attention was focused on the conversations he heard across his feed. The Vampire community had suddenly been thrown into an uproar, and the scent of a certain energon-like blood was distinct throughout the entire city. Lord Fhantom's third-in-command (sometimes known as his gamma) was attempting to keep everybody at bay, and _nobody_ wanted to get on the gamma's bad-side.

Lockdown was only half-obliged to listen - being only a half Vampire, he was only bound by a servo-full of the rules that tied all full Vampires together.

However, he also knew that there was only _one_ creature's blood that could invoke words such as 'pure' and 'sweet' and, most importantly, be a mix of both blood and energon.

When Lockdown heard the news that the one in question had been bitten, he increased speed.

He had a feeling that the roles that had been played out on the jungle planet thousands of years ago were about to be repeated...

* * *

Optimus; Prowl; Jazz; Bumblebee; Bulkhead; Sari and Miko knew, straight away, that things were about to get a whole lot worse for them. There was an aura about this newcomer, whom floated in the sky seemingly by magic, that chilled them right to their very centers. The figure was dressed all in black, in a suit with a cape. He had shoulder-length black hair that seemed luminous in the moonlight, and wore a black mask over his eyes. He was too far away for any of the Autobots to see the colour of said eyes. Still, he gave the impression of being very cold and very dark and very, _very_ evil...

None of them knew what to do. Optimus' servo tightened on his battle-axe. He knew, he just _knew_, that it was only a matter of time before either Prowl or Jazz did something, and he also knew that they were _way_ out of their league with this newcomer.

He also knew that that didn't matter to the two cyber-ninja right now. This new stranger was cradling in his arms the one being that meant more to Jazz and Prowl than anybody else.

Optimus ran a quick scan of the stranger, and his spark nearly stood still.

The Vampire from before was staring up at the newcomer, and then it made a sound from between its teeth that was a cross between a growl and a whine.

The stranger shook his head. "You disappoint me, Fang. I expected more from you."

The Vampire, Fang, whined.

The stranger sighed, and that was when a second figure appeared out of thin air beside him.

This one was a female, and dressed in a full-length ball-gown that was shining silver, like the moon. Her skin was as pale as his, and she too wore a mask. Her hair was black with a dark blue sheen.

The man handed Emma to the woman. Emma appeared to have passed out, but Optimus' scans showed that she was still conscious. Her heart-rate had increased, however, and there was something else that Optimus couldn't quite get a reading on...

The man, after he had handed Emma to the woman, then looked at Fang.

"You have displeased me, Fang." The man stated, calmly but coldly. "You have stolen something very precious from me - my opportunity."

He then disappeared, and reappeared a split-second later, standing next to Fang. His fist struck through the Vampire's head, shocking the Autobots as black energon was spilled all around them, and Fang vanished into a cloud of smoke.

Sari and Miko screamed softly, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead began moving back, inching the two human girls away from the scene. Optimus and the two cyber-ninja stood their ground, as the man looked carelessly at the puddle of black energon, before glancing at the Autobots.

"Underlings that disobey my direct orders are easily disposed of." He stated, and Optimus' energon boiled. Oh, how he _hated_ those that thought like that! "Though, it is a thing of the past. The future presents more opportunities for me, which is where I shall look towards in order to obtain what I so desperately seek."

He spoke in an eerily polite and old-fashioned manner for somebody that had just mercilessly killed one of his own subordinates.

"And, what might _that_ be?" Optimus asked, carefully, every part of his body tensing for a battle.

The man turned to him, from where he floated at eye-level with the Autobot leader, and that's when they realised that he wasn't wearing a cape - the black things on his back were leathery wings, like bat wings.

The man took off his mask, and Sari gasped. "Wait, I know you!" She cried, pointing to him. "You danced with Emma at my Father's Halloween party last year!"

It was Prowl's turn to gasp. "Wait, so..._you_ told her that story about the Vampires!"

"Why?" Jazz wanted to know, his voice cold for once.

The man smiled calmly, and opened his eyes. That was when the Autobots saw that the eyes were as black as pitch.

Optimus was stunned. "You...you're the Vampire Lord...you're..._Fhantom_..."

Miko was pale, and she and Sari held onto each other. Their eyes were wide, and they were, understandably, terrified.

A cold, ominous wind seemed to blow just then, as Fhantom's holoform nodded. "I am surprised that such young Cybertronians know of me. The nightmares from the days of old seem...so long ago..." He sighed. "And, now that I have in my possession what I desire, the nightmares shall continue..." He disappeared, and then reappeared up in the air again, next to the silent woman that was holding Emma. He reached out a cold hand, and gently touched the young woman's face. "My beautiful Princess, with the power of the All-Spark..."

Optimus could see that both of the cyber-ninjas were about to snap - he had a feeling also that it would get both of them killed.

Emma, seemingly "awoken" by Fhantom's touch, suddenly began to struggle. The woman held onto her, as Fhantom chuckled. To the woman in the blue butterfly mask, he said: "Everything you have told me about her is true, my beta..."

The woman nodded once.

Emma's struggling didn't seem to be doing anything - the woman had a vice-like grip around her, despite the fact that it didn't seem that way at all. She too, was a Vampire, and equally as strong as Fhantom.

All of the Autobots suddenly froze, as red blood began to stain Emma's white night-gown, and it began to drip to the ground. A drop landed near Prowl, and he felt like his spark was being taken through a meat-grinder.

Fhantom reached out, and placed a hand on the injury on Emma's stomach. He looked at the blood on his hand, and then raised it to his mouth. He inhaled deeply for a moment, before placing the blood to his lips, and he closed his eyes briefly.

"For billions of stellar cycles, I have longed for this," Fhantom said softly, but they all heard him. "Like an organic rose, so frail and fragile in its current form. With a scent sweeter than any perfume, and a beauty that far surpasses that of a rose's petals...the walls you have put up around yourself to keep others away are reminiscent of a rose's thorns...such things call out to me, they allure me. You appeal to me as a rose appeals to a bee..." Fhantom leaned across, and his blood-soaked lips were mere inches from Emma's lips. "I had intended to wait until you had fully blossomed...that is to say, when all of the pieces of the All-Spark had been rightfully returned to you." He sighed. "But now...I just don't think I can wait any longer...to take you..."

"_No_!" Prowl and Jazz said in unison, in exactly the same tone and with exactly the same amount of authority.

That was when Optimus realised - _both_ the cyber-ninja were Emma's spark-partners. Up until that night, he hadn't been sure if that was possible. But, after losing his own spark-partner again, and being painfully reminded that she had been Sentinel's as well, Optimus fully heard the anger in both cyber-ninjas' voices. This was about to get bad, and it was about to get bad, fast.

Emma, however, had a different train of thought. "That Vampire you just killed..." Her voice had started shaking, as had her hands. Optimus ran another quick scan over her, and was startled to see that there was something terribly wrong with her, but he couldn't figure out what it was! "Was he...created from...Blurr's death?"

Bumblebee gasped.

Fhantom nodded, seeming slightly amused. "My dear, you are correct, of course..." He smiled, and his fangs glittered in the moonlight. "Vampries created from the deaths of Cybertronians aren't very strong, of course, but they serve to do my biddings well..." He trailed a hand from the scar on her neck, down her left arm and to her hand. He examined the rings there. "The fact that those two cyber-ninja have claimed you as their own is..._unfortunate_. I simply will not allow it."

"My Lord..." The female that had remained silent up until that point suddenly spoke, gazing at a point in the distance. "We have company..."

Emma looked up at the woman holding onto her, and gasped suddenly, seeing blood red eyes behind the mask but, more to the point, she saw something that she recognized. "No..." She whispered. "No, no, it can't be! Not you!" She cried, and began to struggle, causing more of her blood to spilled. "No!" She screamed, and everybody heard the sudden agony in her voice.

Light suddenly filled her hands, the familiar blue energy of the All-Spark would have hit both Fhantom and the woman, had they not both instinctively vanished.

Emma would have fallen, except a silver bot leapt out of nowhere and grabbed her. Sai/Sideswipe landed nearby, holding the poor girl protectively in one servo.

What followed was a brief moment of panic and confusion, as nobody knew what was happening or where the Vampires had gone.

"What's _that_?!" Sari cried suddenly, pointing.

Everybody turned to the bright yellow ball-looking thing that was appearing from the east.

"It's called the sun, Sari, good eye." Bumblebee remarked, sarcastically.

The sunrise, however, was welcomed - it brought with it strength and light and, more importantly, relief. The Vampires couldn't handle the sunlight and, as it got brighter, everybody visibly relaxed.

Sai glanced down at his servo, and would have gasped if he could have - Emma had vanished!

The others became a aware of this a split-second later.

"We have to find her!" Bulkhead exclaimed.

Jazz was already gone.

"We should pair up and search, just in case!" Prowl added, taking off in the same direction. For somebody rivalling for a young girl's love, he was certainly able to work with his rival well.

"Sari and Miko, go with Bumblebee and Bulkead!" Optimus ordered. "I'll go with..." He glanced at Sai. "Sideswipe...""

Sai nodded.

"Hurry!" Miko cried.

* * *

Emma had done this to herself - she had purposely used her powers to Transwarp, knowing that she would probably have to explain this later on. Her body was shivering violently when she appeared in the alleyway, halfway across town, and this seemed a contradiction to what she was feeling.

One time, she'd wanted to see if the glass part on the front of a fire-place was hot, so she'd touched it.

One time, she'd accidentally burned herself on a birthday cake candle.

One time, she'd grabbed a sparkler on top of her own cake when she was little.

One time, her Mother had burned her with the hair-straightner, and another time her sister had done it (those may or may not have been accidents).

One time, she'd gotten so badly sunburned in Bali that she'd had a hole in her shoulder.

All of those had been _nothing_, absolutely _NOTHING_ compared to what she was experiencing now. Her first reaction would have been to drop whatever it was that she was holding that was burning her.

But, she wasn't holding anything...

The Venom was trying to work its way through her body, but the All-Spark was countering it with every ounce of its mystical fibre. It was helpful, but it wouldn't be enough. It wouldn't be enough to hold it off for too long. The All-Spark was like a wall, and the Venom was a battering ram. Sooner or later, that wall was going to break.

Emma was a fan of the _Twilight_ series. She loved other Vampire fiction, too, such as _Vampire Knight_ and _M__y Boyfriend Is A Vampire_ and she'd watched one episode of _The Vampire Diaries_ (the episode where that Vampire gets tricked into drinking Holy Water).  
She'd been fascinated by the creatures for as long as she could recall, and had been envious of their speed and power and skills.

Now, it seemed, she was about to become one, but...

No, no, she _couldn't_! Vampires were _monsters_! She couldn't quite remember exactly what it was that they'd done, but...Teramina had fallen because of them...an entire planet had been detsroyed by Fhantom...she _couldn't_ become like him, she could't let it happen!

She Venom attacked her once again, and she bit back a scream. This...this was _too_ much...she just wanted the pain to stop, to make it all go away!

Her breathing was ragged...she dug her fingers into the concrete, feeling it crumble slightly...was it happening already?

Emma's ears suddenly heard an engine approaching, and she tensed, something in her telling her to run, but of course, she couldn't. So, she just lay there on the cold ground, fighting back her screams, as the figure approached her. She sensed it when he assumed his holoform, and then the calm voice of Lockdown said: "So, here we are, come full circle, right kid?"

"L-Lockdown..." Emma looked up at him, and then winced, because of the sun. When had the morning come? "How did you find me?"

Lockdown chuckled softly, and picked the human up with ease. "Let's get you into the shade, kid - then we can sort this out." He didn't answer her question, of course...

She knew _exactly_ what he meant by that, but she had to clear one thing up first. "Wh-why are you helping me?" She struggled to contain her pain. "You're...a Decepticon..."

Lockdown placed her on the ground with surprising gentleness, before he took something out of his pocket. "In case you've forgotten, I wasn't always a 'Con..." His red eyes were emotionless, as he held up the glinting blade. "Once upon a time, our roles were reversed, Angel..."

"I know," she muttered, staring at the knife. "I remember...on jungle planet...Lockown, you do know what somebody would think if they happened upon this alleyway right now, don't you?"

Lockdown finally smiled, a little bit. "Yeah..." He held the knife-blade over the inside of her left wrist.

Emma eyed it, warily. "Lockdown...is this going to...hurt?"

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't, kid...don't watch."

* * *

Prowl and Jazz had been searching all morning for their missing spark-partner, a sense of dread and unease growing between them that scared them. What if she was offline? What if something even _worse_ had happened to her...was that even _possible_?

What if...?

Prowl suddenly got a call, and stopped to answer it. He tensed up at the sound of the caller's voice.

"You there, kid?" Lockdown said.

"Lockdown..." Prowl said, with disdain. "What do you want?"

"Aww, come on Prowl, is that any way to speak to me after what I've just done for you?" Lockdown tsked.

Another voice came, seemingly from far away, but it startled Prowl.

"_Lockdown, don't TELL him_!" Emma's melodic voice rang from somewhere near Lockdown.

Emma!

"Lockdown-where-are-you?!" Prowl cried, sounding a lot like the dead Blurr.

"South-side alley, west of the old power plant." Lockdown replied. "You'd also better hope you Autobots have a damn good medic." He ended the transmission.

Prowl didn't need to explain to Jazz, since the white cyber-ninja had just overheard everything. Together, they raced towards the location they'd been given, contacting Ratchet along the way.

What met their optics in that alley was a _horrible_ sight.

Lockdown was nowhere to be seen, but Emma was - she was lying on the concrete, barely moving or breathing, and bleeding profusely. Red blood and pink energon and some sort of black substance was splattered all around her, and she was deathly pale.

"Emma!" Prowl and Jazz cried in unison. They rushed towards her...

* * *

"Clear the way, quickly!"

"Get those kids out of here!"

"She's lost too much blood!"

"Then she'll need a transfusion!"

"Get her blood-type, quickly!"

"It's type AB!"

"We don't have enough of that in stock!"

"My blood's type AB!"

"We have a volunteer!"

"This way, Mrs. Greys!"

"Hurry!"

* * *

Emma awoke suddenly, in the darkness of a hospital room. She didn't know how she'd gotten there - had somebody carried her here?

Looking around, she suddenly remembered what had happened...Jazz and Prowl must have brought her here...

Emma glanced down at herself. She was only wearing a pair of pants - this was to make room for the bandages that were wrapped around her body. due to the injuries she had sustained. The bandages were wrapped around her left wrist; stomach; ankles and chest, and a sticky plaster covered the small of her throat. Two IV's were hooked up to her right wrist.

Emma glanced over to her right, and saw a second hospital bed. Victoria was lying in it, and looked over when she heard Emma move.

"You okay?" Victoria asked, quietly.

"Holy Primus..." Emma whispered - her throat felt like it was on fire. "Victoria...what...happened?"

"It's okay," Victoria said, calmly. "You're in the hospital. Prowl and Jazz found you in a alleyway, bleeding to death, but you're safe now. I gave you some of my blood."

Emma stared at her. "B-but...why?"

Victoria smiled sady at her. "Because...you remind me of somebody..." She replied. "And...I care about you..."

Emma didn't say anything, and just looked around the room. Victoria followed her gaze, and the brightness of the room was largely due to the flowers and cards and teddy bears and chocolates and balloons.

"Where did all this _stuff_ come from?" Emma asked, her voice still soft.

"Everyone." Victoria replied, simply.

"Oh."

"They've been worried about you."

"Oh?"

"I think they're all in the waiting room, where they were two days ago."

"_Oh_..."

Just then, the door to the room opened. A doctor came in, followed by a nurse, and...

"Ratchet!" Emma cried, and then winced, as her throat burned. What was wrong with it?

Ratchet, in his holoform, looked tired, but his blue eyes were full of relief, when he saw that Emma was okay. "How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Like I've been run over by a truck." Emma replied. "No offence." She added.

"None taken." Ratchet replied, as the human doctor began to check Emma's vital signs and such.

Emma closed her eyes, and listened to the steady beating that she could hear...what _was_ that? It was strong, and alluring...it seemed to be coming from...the doctor...

Emma's eyes snapped open. Oh no, oh NO! She suddenly knew what it was - it was the doctor's heart! And, the _reason_ that she could hear it was because she was now...a half Vampire! Suddenly, she understood the burning in her throat - she wanted blood! Even the blood in the IV was tempting!

"Her heart-rate's increasing." The doctor said suddenly, as the green blips began to accalerate. "Emma, what's wrong?"

"I...I can't..." Emma was panicking. She'd never been very good at self-control - her bout with that amphedamine-dependancy had proven that. Now, it was something her body was craving with every ounce of her fibre - she _wanted_ blood! But...she couldn't, she must _not_ become a monster, like the ones that had destroyed her planet!

"Nurse, inject a sedative, quickly!" The doctor said sharply, and the nurse nodded.

She stepped forwards and injected something into the IV on Emma's arm.

Emma's eyelids fluttered, and passed out into a blissfully black abyss.

The three humans and one Autobot in the room stared at the unconscious half-breed.

The doctor shook his head. "Nurse...cancel my three o-'clock..."

* * *

True to Victoria's words, everybody was out in the waiting room. "Everybody" being the Autobots; the Elite Guard (yes, even Sentinel was there...this was mainly to keep an eye on the Jet-Twins); Aquilla and Audrey; Sari and her Father; Flora and her parents; Sai; Mama Fuyano and her workers.

Ratchet relayed the events to them, and filled them in on Emma's condition.

Optimus was thankful that Aquilla and Audrey were asleep - they didn't need to hear this.

Sari and the other girls were silent, staring at Ratchet in shock. Sari especially was upset - how had this all ended like this?

"Is...is she going to be okay?" Miko asked, in a _very_ small voice. Her usually sparkling light brown eyes were full of concern. She hadn't felt this bad since the earthquake that had struck her homeland a few years back.

Ratchet sighed. "We're not sure, until she wakes up. This is a very delicate and unique case - neither the human doctors nor i have _ever_ treated a patient quite like this before. The nature of the incident only adds to that."

"Can...can we see her?" Sari wanted to know.

Ratchet shook his head. "No. The doctor wants to keep all children and non-relatives out of the room at the moment."

Sai stood up.

"Yes, that means that you can go in there, but keep it down..." Ratchet said.

Sai glared at him.

"Oh, right...sorry..."

* * *

Prowl and Jazz had listened to everything that Ratchet had said. However, when Sai went into the room to visit with Victoria, the two other cyber-ninja decided to go in and see Emma. After all, they were to Emma what Sai was to Victoria, so why shouldn't they get to go in?

They were virtually the only ones left at the hospital, but this was not because the others didn't care. Fanzone had his job, and Fuchsia had decided to take Flora home as well. Isaac had practically had to _drag_ Sari out if the hospital, and Bumblebee had decided to go with her. Miko went only after Bulkhead insisted, and Mama Fuyano took the rest of her workers back to the tower - they would move into the restaurant tomorrow...the distraction of moving day would benefit them.

Optimus had decided to take Aquilla and Audrey back to the base, muttering something about needing to feed Scuz-Bag. Prowl could tell that his leader was upset. Optimus held Audrey in his arms and she tiredly looped her arms around his neck, more asleep than awake.

Sentinel, to give the mech that was usually a jerk credit, carried Aquilla out of the hospital, although he made a big deal about washing himself for an hour afterwards.

The Jet-Twins went with them, which left Prowl and Jazz alone in the hospital, to wait and worry.

After they had made their decision, they walked straight into the room, and pulled up uncomfortable hospital chairs, to sit on either side of Emma's bed.

Victoria and Sai glanced at them, and then politely looked away.

However, both of them understood what Prowl and Jazz were going through. They understood the pain of losing a loved one, and also the bonds between spark-partners. Prowl and Jazz appreciated that Victoria and Sai understood this. They also knew that Sai and Victoria cared about Emma, as well. There was a mutual agreement in the room.

Prowl took Emma's left hand gently, and Jazz took Emma's right hand with the same amount of care.

They didn't need to say anything - they concentrated with every part of their sparks and channelled their thoughts and feelings to her.

They hummed steadily. Sai recognized this, and would have sighed if he could have. He knew the cyber-ninja code as well as any of them. He also knew that Prowl and Jazz had committed themselves to Emma/Angel in every way possible.

They were hers, and hers for all time. Was she aware of this?

Sai had known her back when she was Angel, and knew that she had a habit of thinking down about herself. And, nobody changes _that_ much, so Sai had a suspicion that she still thought that she didn't deserve love...

As Sai watched, a blue light appeared around the centres of the cyber-ninjas' chests, and then around their hands which clasped Emma's own hands. Sai understood - they were trying to communicate with her in her dreams. The question was, would she receive it?

* * *

Emma walked around in her own dreamscape, feeling a little bit uncertain. It was a seemingly normal scenario for one of her dreams - she was walking around in an anime and manga store, that seemed to have a lot of random stuff from shows that didn't really exist.

The trouble was, they were all about Vampires - each and every single thing in the store.

Emma reached over and picked up a DVD about a Japanese school-girl turning into a Vampire (very generic) and it immediately disappeared in her hands.

"I've got to get out of here." Emma muttered, feeling the burning in her throat. She turned to head towards the door, but found the entire shop suddenly thrown into darkness, in a _very_ scary way.

Emma took a step backwards, and felt a presence behind her. She was immediately enveloped by cold darkness, and a cool voice purred in her ear: "What's the rush, darling?" He chuckled lightly. "We have an _eternity_..." He had a thick Transylvanian accent.

Emma knew immediately who it was. "Incubus!" She gasped, trying to pull away from the Vampire.

Incubus tightened his cold and shadowy grip on her. "Hello, Angel...they've told me _so_ much about you, my dear..."

"Yeah, your sister mentioned you, too." Emma replied, stiffly.

"Did she mention how much I've been _dying_ to meet you?" Incubus asked her. "I mean, you're almost one of us now, my darling Angel..."

"I will _never_ be like you!" Emma snapped.

Incubus was amused. "Lord Fhantom has been waiting an eternity for you...he will not give you a choice...look..."

A mirror appeared in front of them. Emma gasped. Embracing her from behind was a tall and handsome male, with long black hair and blood-red eyes. He was dressed similar to Fhantom.

"Don't you think you look _better_ as a Vampire?" Incubus whispered to her. "Think of how you could look as a _full_ Vampire?"

Emma looked. She was wearing an old-fashioned, but low-cut silver dress, and it came to just below her knees. Her skin was a few shades paler than it had been before, and there was a slight reddish-tinge to her hazel eyes, that she saw when she looked deeply into them.

No, Primus, no!

Emma struggled against Incubus' grip, and was surprised when he let her go. She ran straight at the mirror and ran through it, appearing in a dark courtyard at the base of a huge castle. A cold wind blew around her, and she shivered.

Incubus' voice came from around her. "Run, if you think you can..." He chuckled. "I _love_ it when they run..."

Emma turned and ran through the dead courtyard, her bare-feet making no noise as she ran alongside a tall hedge maze. She didn't go into there - if she did, for sure she would become lost...

She could feel Incubus' presence all around her, and he became the shadows that tripped her as she stumbled across the dark landscape. All the while, that castle loomed in the backdrop, a foreboding presence. It hadn't _always_ been like that...why was this place so familiar?

Did this place have no end?

In a garden of almost all dead roses, a fountain had been destroyed, and the water now covered the ground as she ran. She suddenly tripped, and landed on the watery ground with a small splash. The roses immediately began snaking their way towards her, their thorny stems wrapping around her ankles and wrists, piercing into her skin.

Emma screamed, and thrashed about, as the roses lifted her up, and her blood mingled with the rose petals. The petals swirled around and formed Incubus.

"Angel..." He purred, as a fleck of her own blood landed on his chin. He licked it away. "I win..."

She struggled, but to no avail. Why wasn't this like her dream with Succubus? She'd been able to transform into the _actual_ Angel, and deal some damage to the seductress, so why...?

Incubus answered this unspoken question - like his sister, he seemed to know exactly what Emma was thinking. "What makes you think that this is a dream, Angel?"

Emma gasped again, and then let out another cry, as she felt the blood slide down her arms and legs. Yes, his definitely didn't _feel_ like a dream, but...

"Do you know where we are?" Incubus asked her.

Emma was not able to answer.

Incubus' wings unfolded, as he flew up to where Emma was. He smiled darkly at her, and said: "This is your home...this is Teramina."

Emma gasped again, tears gathering in her eyes. No, this _couldn't_ be her home! Teramina wasn't like this, Teramina was supposed to be a beautiful mix of technology and nature, not a dead and barren nightmarish wasteland!

Emma shuddered, as Incubus touched the small of her throat. He leaned towards her, and whispered: "You crave blood...and energon...you can _never_ be loved by those cyber-ninjas now...or, that Decepticon that is the Father of your twins...he was your partner when you were a Princess...he was your Prince..."

Emma's eyes opened wide. What?! Never be loved?! Starscream was...her partner?! What about Prowl and Jazz?! But...Incubus said...?!

Incubus' smile grew, and his lips were now a mere inch from hers. "You're a Vampire now, Angel..." He suddenly froze, and then turned, just as something came flying towards him, which he caught just in time.

It was a golden shuriken.

Emma and Incubus looked down, to see...

"Prowl! Jazz!" Emma cried, and then remembered what Incubus had just said. She flinched.

The two cyber-ninja, in their holoforms, looked calmly up at Emma, and angrily at Incubus. It was amazing how they both managed to have two different expressions at exactly the same time.

Incubus glared angrily at the two cyber-ninja, his entire demeanour changing instantly, and Emma suddenly knew what Incubus' vice was, if his sister's was her face, then Incubus had alpha-male issues.

"Get away from our spark-partner, Vampire!" Prowl said, darkly.

Incubus snapped: "How did you two _mortals_ manage to get into my Angel's dream-scape?!"

"News flash, Vampire," Jazz said. "That ain't _your_ anything, ya dig?" He _sounded_ calm, but his eyes told a different story. "If she _was_, then you'd know the answer to that question..."

Incubus laughed without mirth. "You two know _nothing_ about the situation at hand..." He said. "Or, about what the beautiful Angel has become..."

"No, don't tell them!" Emma cried, panicking. Prowl and Jazz switched their gazes to her, confused. Emma's heart hammered in her chest. Blood dripped in strange patterns down her skin. "Please, for the love of Primus, don't!" Tears fell down her face. She was sobbing, showing her emotions. "I love them! I love Prowl and Jazz!" She didn't dare mention Starscream. "I love them too much...for them to...have to love me...I don't want to be a monster, but..." She trailed off, not wanting to say it, but somehow knowing that it was about to be said.

"But you _are_, Angel!" Incubus reminded her. "You have become..."

"Stop!" She begged him.

"A Vampire!"

Time seemed to stand still (perhaps it _did_) as Incubus' words seemed to echo.

Emma was white now, and staring at Jazz and Prowl, as they both stared back up at her.

Emma whispered: "Fang bit me...but...Lockdown cut most of the Venom out, just like I did for him back on Jungle Planet a long time ago...he and I are...Half-Vampires..." She hung her head. "I'm sorry...but...I...my throat burns...I think it wants...blood..." She sobbed silently.

Incubus smiled. "That's right, admit it, my dear...it is only natural...why don't I just bite you, and end your suffering...the shadows will suit you..."

"NO!" Jazz and Prowl shouted, in unison.

"Emma, don't listen to him!" Jazz begged her. "We'll work it all out, I promise you that!"

"We'll do it together, and if you don't want the others to know, then we won't tell them!" Prowl added.

Emma stared at them.

"We'll do anything." The two cyber-ninja said, in unison. "Emma...we love you..."

Emma gasped, a feeling in her chest suddenly overriding her thirst. She suddenly realised that, above all else, what she _needed_ was _love_...the love of the two mechs standing there in the ruins of her home-planet...

"But...I might hurt you..." Emma whispered.

"It's okay." Prowl's voice was gentle.

So was Jazz's. "We'll be together, and that's all that matters."

Emma's heart felt warm, and the All-Spark was buzzing. _This_ was what it wanted, this was all the All-Spark had _ever_ wanted, and _needed_! "Jazz...Prowl..." She whispered. "Please...help me..." She begged. "I love you..."

The two cyber-ninja moved in unison, both of them moving as if they had been waiting a lifetime for this femme to tell them she loved them! They were able to get past the shadows, and the bonds of their sparks with Emma's drew them to her, taking them quickly and safely out of the danger of the dream-scape, and back to where they belonged.

"No!" Incubus screamed. "Nooooo!"

* * *

Emma awoke in the early morning, to see sunlight filtering in through the Venetians. That was the first thing she saw. The _second_ thing she saw was Jazz on her right, and then Prowl on her left.

Emma smiled slightly. The thirst was pretty much gone, to be replaced by a strong feeling of love that she was getting from _both_ these mechs, even though they were asleep. Emma held Prowl's hand to the spot on her chest where her heart was, so that would be the first thing that he sensed when he woke up. She rested her head against Jazz's shoulder, and fell back to sleep...


	27. Trinity Cross

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Adult themes

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Taeniaea - thanks, and don't worry about Emma, she'll be okay!

AllSpark Princess - hmm, a cure? But, saying wrist-slashing makes them sound emo! ^_^;; And, you'll see...

* * *

**Important Author's Note About The Following Chapter:**

The following chapter may contain references to two chapters in between twenty-six and twenty-seven that will be revealed in a short side-story. The side-story will appear...soon...I hope. ^_^;; Please watch out for it in my profile...I was going to include them in this story, but they're very long chapters, so they get their own story!

Also, there's only a few chapters to go! how exciting!

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Trinity Cross

* * *

By the end of January, everybody had gotten back into their routines, and the excitement of the last few months was starting to die down. Jazz was still with them, despite multiple orders from Sentinel Prime for him to leave earth, especially after the completion of the Space Bridge by Bulkhead and Isaac. He wasn't budging, however - there was one thing that was more important to him than his duties.

Sentinel and the Jet-Twins, meanwhile, were still in space, transporting the Decepticon prisoners back to Cybertron to face trial.

Emma was looking happier than she had in a long, long time. Everything seemed to be going her way lately - she had new All-Spark Fragments; she had saved a country (A/N - read side-story when available); she was surrounded by the ones she loved the most; she'd had a great Christmas and New Year; the Mercury Bars had gone on sale again; and they hadn't seen the Decepticons or Vampires for months. Things couldn't have been better, except for every time she realised that the final battle was fast approaching.

Would she be able to live up to her promise to herself, and save Prowl and Starscream without destroying half the city?

Emma was starting to revel on just how much she had changed, not just about becoming half Vampire, but in herself, as well. She was more confident, she didn't stammer, and she had started to live for others, instead of just herself. She believed in herself a little bit more, and was learning to allow herself to love and be loved - that was the biggest change of all. Prowl and Jazz had helped with that, although they were _still_ seeming to rival for Emma's attention and affection, despite being on quite good terms with each other.

One day, Optimus was commending Bulkhead and Isaac on finishing the Space-Bridge in record time. The two scientists were, however, arguing, which was nothing new. Sari was getting annoyed because neither of them would listen to her. Emma was reading her book nearby (was she _ever_ going to find out what happened in the book called _Angel_?) and Jazz and Prowl were training nearby.

Emma looked up as Sari jumped down from the platform and ran to the computer terminal for the Space-Bridge. Her blue eyes glowed, and her fingers moved apart to become like a scene out of _Ghost In The Shell_. She clicked a few keys, and then nodded to herself. "Guys, I fixed it!" She called over her shoulder.

"I was under great stress!" Isaac hadn't heard his daughter.

"Guys, it's done!" Sari told them.

"Well, that's my point!" Bulkhead wasn't listening either.

Emma could see that Sari was about to lose her temper.

And, sure enough, the red-headed teenager's hands flew to her hips, and she shouted: "GUYS?!"

"What?" Bulkhead and Isaac both turned to her, looking annoyed.

"Now that I have your attention..." Sari said, calm now. She pressed a particular button, and Optimus looked up as the Space-Bridge came to life over his head, with the blue orb of Transwarping energy.

"Sari, how did you know what to do?" Optimus wanted to know.

"I dunno." Sari frowned, and then smiled. She shrugged. "I just, kinda...did."

Everybody stared at her for a second, and then exchanged glances.

* * *

Later on, Optimus got an encrypted message on a sub-frequency. Emma knew what it was, but didn't say anything, as Optimus ran it through the filter at Bulkhead's suggestion.

"Broken lance!" Sentinel's voice said, urgently. "Repeat, broken lance!"

"Broken lance?" Sari repeated.

"It's an old private code from our academy days." Optimus explained. "Sentinel only used it when he was about to get caught doing something he shouldn't."

Jazz sighed. "Wonder what SP did _this_ time...?" He muttered. He sounded concerned.

"If Sentinel called Boss-Bot for help, then he must _really_ be in trouble." Bulkhead stated.

"What could possibly go wrong when transporting a bunch of deadly Decepticon prisoners on a ship in space?" Emma said. "Oh, and by the way, I was being sarcastic." She added.

"Well, _duh_." Sari rolled her eyes.

* * *

It took awhile to link the Space-Bridge to a Transwarp location that had been detected on the ship, until Sari stepped in and used her powers to help.

Bulkhead said he was pretty sure they could get Optimus through, but not so certain that they could bring him back.

"Do it." Optimus told him, and then ran towards the platform to take him to the Space-Bridge.

Emma looked at Jazz, and knew what he was thinking. "You should go." She told him quietly, touching the side of his leg.

The robot looked down at her. "You sure?" He asked her.

She nodded. "They're gonna need all the help they can get, and they're _your_ team - you should go." She repeated.

Jazz nodded. "I'll catcha ya later, cool cat!" He assured her, and followed Optimus to the platform, which rose to take them to the blue energy.

Emma watched with the others as Optimus and Jazz disappeared into the blue light. "Be safe." She whispered.

"Well, now what?" Sari wanted to know.

"Now...we wait." Emma replied, her shoulders sagging. She had the sudden urge to watch the movie _Con Air_...

* * *

About ten minutes after Optimus and Jazz left, Bumblebee arrived. He marched straight into the rec room of Sumdac Tower, where the twins were playing a video game called _Dance-A-Tastic_, and Prowl was playing Go Fish with the humans.

"Got any nines?" Flora asked Miko.

"Bite me." Miko replied, which was something she had invented to say rather than 'go fish'.

Sari, whom was sitting next to Miko, glanced at Miko's cards and exclaimed: "Hey, you have _two_ nines in your hand!"

"I thought she said fives!" Miko protested.

"Liar!" Flora cried, and leapt across the table to attack Miko.

"Eek!" The Japanese girl cried, and just barely dodged, running away from the angry police-chief's daughter, who gave chase.

Meanwhile, the twins were dancing to a song that had gone viral after Sari had gotten ahold of her Nanny's computer and posted a particular video on the internet.

The twins were now dancing along to it, and doing a pretty good job of keeping time with the fat Korean man with the sunglasses.

"_O-O-O-O-Oppa gang-namseuyail_!" Aquilla sang. "Take it away!" She added to Audrey.

"_Eh, sexy lady_!" Audrey sang.

"_O-O-O-O-Oppa gang-namseuyail_!" Aquilla added.

Flora and Miko stared at them.

"Is that Japanese?" Flora wanted to know.

"No, it's Korean." Miko replied, shaking her head. "It's weird..."

"Yeah...I'm still gonna kill you for lying and cheating, Miko!"

"Running now!"

As Flora chased Miko out of the room, Bumblebee approached the table, where Sari had just smugly beaten both Prowl and Emma at Go Fish.

Bumblebee threw some brochures down on the table.

They stared.

"What's this?" Emma asked.

Sari looked at the brochures, and recognized them as the ones from her room, about the high school Miko was attending! Sari gasped, and looked up.

"I can't _believe_ you're thinking about going to high school, Sari!" Bumblebee cried. "You'll get bullied and Primus knows what else! You wrote in your diary that you were scared of that as a child!"

"You went in my room _and_ you read my diary?!" Sari exclaimed.

Bumblebee changed tactics immediately. "What about _me_, Sari?" He assumed his holoform and sat down across from her at the table. His blue eyes looked wounded. "If we're best friends, then what am I gonna do when you're at school all day long?"

Sari looked surprised, and then she sighed. "Bee, this is something that I just _need_ to do. It's a human thing."

"But, you're _not_ a human, you're a Cybertronian." Bumblebee complained.

"I've lived as a human for so long now that I _am_ one, or at least half one." Sari explained. "You're still my best friend, although that _doesn't_ give you _any_ excuse to invade my room and read my diary!" She blushed angrily.

"It's not my fault you left it open on your desk, and some pages had blown back when I went in there looking for you!" Bumblebee defended his actions.

"It's still not right!" Sari replied, angrily.

"Jeez, this is almost painful to watch." Emma muttered to Prowl, and then raised her voice. "Hey, you two," Bumblebee and Sari looked at her. "If Bee's so worried about being alone and Sari's so worried about being bullied, then why doesn't Bee just go holoform and enroll himself in the same school and be her bodyguard? That way, everybody's happy." She sat back.

Bumblebee and Sari looked at each other, and then back at Emma, with huge grins.

"That's a _great_ idea!" They said, in unison, and began pouring over the brochures and talking about the lessons.

"What made you think of that?" Prowl asked Emma.

"My own wish that never came true." Emma smiled sadly. "I would have liked a bodyguard at school, and sometimes at home, too."

Prowl kissed her forehead, and said: "You'll never have to go through anything like that again." He promised her, looking into her eyes.

She nodded. "I don't plan on leaving." She reminded him.

Prowl chuckled. "What makes you think I plan on _letting_ you leave?" He leaned closer.

"_Get a room_!" Bumblebee mocked.

Prowl glanced at Emma.

Bumblebee said: "Oh, I forgot, your room has a massive _hole_ in the ceiling, so that you can be closer to _nature_."

Emma nodded.

Prowl leapt at Bumblebee, and pinned him to the ground. "You should _try_ it sometime." He said meaningfully.

Bumblebee cringed.

Sari laughed. That served Bumblebee right for going into her room without her permission!

* * *

A few hours later, Emma was sitting on a beanbag cushion and telling a story to the twins.

"So, this cute dude named Jack plants these magic beans 'cause he's, like, hungry, then a _mondo_ beanstalk grows overnight way up into the clouds..."

"That seems a little farfetched, Mamma."

"Quiet, Audrey, this is my story, not yours. How do you even know what that _means_?"

"Sentinel - I learned a lot from his complaining, just by listening."

"Yeah, well then, he should have _paid_ you."

The twins began to giggle, just as a strange sound began to fill the air. "What's that?"

They all looked up, and Emma grinned. "It sounds like the Elite Guard Flagship!" She exclaimed.

They all gasped, and jumped up. They hurried up to the rooftop, where the Elite Guard Flagship was hovering. A ramp came down, and Optimus walked down it, followed by...

"Jazz!" Emma grinned, and hurried to him. Aquilla and Audrey hung back, but waved to Jetfire and Jetstorm. The Russian-accented Jet-Twins waved back.

Sentinel and Optimus saluted each other, and then Sentinel gave Jazz a Look. Jazz shook his head, and Sentinel sighed, before turning and walking back onto the ship. They were going to Transwarp directly to Cybertron using the Space-Bridge.

Cybertron was headed for difficult times, but Sentinel had assured them that, as acting Magnus, he would meet every challenge head on.

This was going to be _interesting_...

* * *

The only problem was that Swindle and Lugnut had managed to escape. Swindle was long gone, with a lot of stuff he had swiped from the ship.

"I just love a shopping spree, especially when it's _free_!" He chuckled, as he took off in an escape pod.

Lugnut, meanwhile, was sent careening through space, and only stopped when he hit something.

Onboard the just-Transwarped Omega Supreme, Starscream and Megatron stared at Lugnut.

Lugnut stared at his commander and second-in-command.

"So...now we're picking up hitchhikers?" Starscream guessed.

Megatron responded by smacking him upside the head, which was the only part of his body that was there. Starscream bounced away across the deck.

Megatron turned back to Lugnut, considering his options. The Autobots must pay for what they had done!

* * *

"What?!" Flora stood up quickly from the kitchen table, where the family had just finished their breakfasts.

"You heard me." Her Father was firm, as he snapped open a newspaper and began to read. "Now, help your Mother with the breakfast dishes."

"Okay then, can you at least explain to me why not?!" Flora demanded to know.

"You know very well why," Fanzone replied. "It's for your own good, Flora."

"Is it for my own good or for _your_ own good?!" Flora snapped. Her hands were shaking. "I don't want to go back to England, not now that I've made so many great friends _here_!"

"But, Flora, what about all of your friends back in England?" Fuchsia asked, from where she was washing dishes at the sink (no dishwashers for this family!).

"_Human_ friends, besides." Fanzone added.

Flora was seeing red. "Oh, so that's what this is all about?! You just don't want me to be friends with the Autobots anymore, do you?! _That isn't fair_!" She fairly screamed, before she turned and ran from the kitchen, and she was out the door before her Father even knew what had happened.

Fanzone and his wife exchanged a glance.

"Go after her." Fuchsia suggested.

"Why do _I_ have to be the one to go?" Fanzone complained.

"Because she's so much like you are, dear, and you understand her better that way." Fuchsia explained. "Now, go. I think you and I both have a pretty good idea of where our daughter has gone."

* * *

Fanzone, of course, found his daughter at Sumdac tower, which was where he would have had to have gone regardless, because there was trouble with the police bots.

Flora walked up onto the rooftop with Emma and Jazz, to find her Father running for his life from the police bots that were shooting at him. She was a little less angry after talking to them (Jazz was always cool, and Emma had been in this kind of situation before with her own parents), but she still didn't make a move to help her Father, that is until he was sucked into the suddenly activated Space-Bridge!

"Daddy!" Flora cried, forgetting her anger, and ran forwards, grabbing onto his hand, and they were _both_ sucked into the Transwarp field!

"No!" Emma, after only a moment's hesitation, followed them, acting instinctively.

"Okay, that's probably not good." Ratchet muttered, before he and Jazz followed after the three humans.

* * *

Fanzone woke up slowly, and muttered: "I'll be happy if I never see another..." He trailed off.

He was surrounded by Transformers! Big ones, short ones, boy ones, girl ones, and all shapes and shades, as well!

Flora clung to her Father's arm, as he yanked her out of the way of being squished by a giant robot, that freaked out at the sight of organics.

Some Transformers crowded around, and then ran away when Fanzone spoke.

"Never seen a human before." Flora sighed.

"Eww, step on those things!" A pretty red and orange fem-bot with high-heels cried out, in a Southern accent.

A big white and black bot named Grandus attempted to, just as another slight Transwarp field activated above them, and Emma fell out of it, landing on the fem-bot and knocking her to the ground.

Emma shook her head, and stared at the bot. "Flare-Up?" She guessed.

Flare-Up was terrified (an organic was _touching_ her, _and_ it knew her name!) and cried: "Get it off me!"

Emma blinked, just as a pair of cool hands grabbed her, and Jazz's voice said: "Time to split the scene, cool cat!" Emma found herself in his alt. mode, and Ratchet already had Fanzone and his daughter.

They raced away from a stunned Flare-Up and Grandus.

"Ooh, it _touched_ you, Flare-Up!" Grandus cried.

"Tell _anybot_, and I'll shove dynamite down your throat, Grandus!" Flare-Up snapped.

* * *

_I cannot believe we're on Cybertron!_ Emma was trying her best to contain her excitement, which was easy to do once they all realised that, not only was Sentinel _truly_ acting Magnus, but he was broadcasting a _lot_ of propaganda, saying that Decepticons were amongst them, and it could be friends or neighbors, and even ones own creator could be a spy! All potentially subversive gathering places were closed (this included Maccadam's Old Oil House and Pannuci's Pub) and there was a curfew.

"Don't let _this_, happen to _you_." Sentinel added, and showed an image of Ultra Magnus on spark-support!

"_Why the Hell are they showing us that_?!" Emma cried, and then lowered her voice when the others looked at her. "It's disgusting, using something like that for propaganda for Sentinel's fanatical government policies!"

Ratchet agreed with her. "No good glory hog's got a lot of steel!" He didn't notice a glasses-wearing bot walking behind him. "It was Lockdown who caught those 'Cons!" The glasses-wearing bot backtracked and looked curiously at him. "What are you looking at?!" He then glanced at the three humans.

"They're _organic_!" Tracks cried out in a stuffy British accent (what was with all the accents lately?). He jumped back and then ran off.

"What have they done to Cybertron?" Ratchet said quietly, his blue optics worried.

"This is _so_ not how I remember it." Emma shook her head.

"How _do_ you remember it?" Flora asked, curiously, standing close to her.

"Not like this..." Emma muttered, and then a strange feeling overcame her. "Wait, I...I think I..." In a flash of blue light, she disappeared and, because of their close proximity to each other, Flora also vanished!

"What just happened?!" Ratchet cried.

"I think the question is what are _you_ doing on Cybertron?" Sentinel finally chose that moment to show up. "You are in a heap of trouble - _both_ of you!" He said to Ratchet and Jazz. "Jazz, you should know better than to bring organics past quarantine! Now we have to go and find those two!"

To make matters worse, Omega Supreme showed up. Nobody could believe it, least of all Sentinel!

* * *

"Cybertron." Megatron stood on deck. "At last, our ultimate goal is at our feet. And here we stand aboard its ultimate weapon."

"Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could actually figure out how to use it?!" Starscream was smirking, for some reason.

Megatron raised an optic ridge, as Lugnut declared that Megatron was brilliant and all the stuff he usually said.

"We still can't get the weapons online." Starscream reminded him, though he was still smiling.

"As luck would have it we still have an agent on Cybertron." Megatron stated.

"He's not the only one." Starscream said.

"What do you mean?" Megatron asked him.

The All-Spark Shard in Starscream's forehead glowed softly. "Angel is here! I can sense it!"

Megatron nodded. "Then, indeed, we are very lucky today..."

"Or, are we?" Starscream suddenly thought of something. "Angel and Shockwave, maybe, but meanwhile we get to float up here and get picked off by the Cybertronian Defense Cannons!"

It was Megatron's turn to smile. "No Autobot would be foolish enough to fire on their greatest weapon."

* * *

"I say we fire on Omega Supreme!" Sentinel declared.

He and Ratchet got into a heated debate over why this would or wouldn't be a good idea, and Alpha Trion stated that the council would deliberate.

"What's there to deliberate?!" Ratchet leaned forwards. "Omega Supreme is one of us! An Autobot - a _friend_." He glared at Sentinel. "Harm one circuit on him and you'll answer to _me_."

"Are you threatening me?" Sentinel pointed to him. "That's treason, soldier!" He turned to the Jet-Twins. "Arrest him! Then, we still have to find those two organics that are running around somewhere on Cybertron!"

The Jet-Twins took out stasis-cuffs.

"Need I remind you that one of those organics is the carrier of the All-Spark!" Ratchet said. _Not to mention Jazz and Prowl will probably kill us all if something bad happens to her!_

"Yeah, and the other one is my daughter!" Fanzone stated. "You'd better not hurt her!" He added, just as he sensed a sneeze coming on, and his nose began to run.

The Jet-Twins backed away in horror. Sure, they liked organics enough, especially the little sparklings called Aquilla and Audrey, and they had nothing against the femme-creator of said sparklings, but this was just too much!

As Fanzone sneezed, Ratchet used his powers to hit the Jet-Twins, and they went flying back into a wall.

Ratchet transformed into his alt. mode and Fanzone jumped into the driver's seat.

As ratchet sped out the door, he apologized to the twins, but that didn't stop them from following their orders and taking off after him in jet-mode!

Jazz and Sentinel also followed, but Jazz was seriously starting to realise that he'd made the right decision before, choosing Emma over the Elite Guard!

Where was she, and Flora, anyway?

* * *

Emma and Flora found themselves at the door of a large building on the outskirts of the city.

"How did you do that?" Flora asked. "And, what _is_ this place?"

"I dunno, and I dunno." Emma shrugged, looking at the old and severely damaged building. "But...I think I've been here before..." She climbed up the steps, followed by Flora. "I hope Optimus doesn't find out about this." She added, as they walked in through the massive doorway.

"Hey, it's your power, you should be able to do what you want with it." Flora pointed out.

"Yeah, except...I _didn't_ do that..." Emma replied. "It was more like...something _else_ did it _for_ me..."

"Okay..." Flora said, rolling her eyes, as they walked into a large room.

Emma stopped, and gasped. "Wait, I _do_ know this place!" She looked over at the blonde-haired teenager. "Flora, this is the old Cyber Ninja Headquarters - this is where Prowl and Jazz trained, and where I trained too...in my former life..."

Flora raised an eyebrow. "Wow...so then, why are we here?"

Emma looked around. "I don't know...maybe...hey, what's that?" They looked to see something glowing from down the hallway. They hurried to investigate...

* * *

Flare-Up was approached by Warpath, as she tried to piece together what exactly the slag had just happened! Warpath told her that he had been instructed to locate the two missing organics, and he wanted to know if she knew anything that might help him.

"There was something weird about the one that fell on me," Flare-Up admitted, as they walked down the street together. "It..._she_, knew my name, and there was something _familiar_ about..." Flare-Up suddenly gasped, and stopped walking.

"What?!" Warpath looked at her urgently. "What is it?!"

"That..." Flare-Up's servo flew to her orange-painted lips. "That was Angel!"

Warpath looked shocked. "What are you talking about? Angel went offline stellar cycles ago, and there's no _way_ she could be an organic!"

"I know that," Flare-Up nodded. "But, it's just that...the way she _looked_ at me, and the look in her optics...Warpath, I don't know _how_, but...I think that it _was_ her..." She clasped her hands, and looked at her spark-partner intently. "It was her voice, I know it..."

Warpath sighed. "I've been hearing some rumors within the Elite Guard that an organic on the planet called Earth was reported to have been absorbing the fragments of the shattered All-Spark...of course, that's need to know classified."

"Well I'm your partner, I need to know." Flare-Up reminded him.

"Well, now you do."

"Anything else I should know?"

"No, I'd say you're pretty much up to speed."

"Thank you."

Warpath looked around. "So, any idea where we might find who we're looking for?"

Flare-Up had an idea. "I bet I know..." She said, and transformed into her alt. mode, which was a cool-looking motorcycle. "Follow me!"

* * *

Emma and Flora arrived in the room where the protoforms had once been kept, but it was now deserted, and all of the protoforms were long gone. The only thing in the room was the grey shell of a fallen Autobot...of Master Yoketron...

Hovering above it was a blue orb.

"What is that?" Flora whispered.

"I...I think I know, but..." Emma was staring at the orb, and something very painful was happening in her mind. She was remembering something, a dream she had had just after Ratchet and Victoria had brought the twins into the world via cesarean.

Emma walked forwards, and held out a shaking hand.

She was also remembering the night she had been bitten by the Vampire, and how close she had been to Lord Fhantom. The woman that had been beside him...Emma hadn't wanted to believe it, but...

"Mamma..." She whispered, and touched the blue light.

The light expanded instantly, and created a beautiful holographic place, a mixture of technology and nature. Young bots ran around playing, and older bots walked by. Some transformed into giant robotic animals. They were all sorts of colours and had different coloured optics, and there were blue spheres on their foreheads.

Emma was not aware of Flora gasping in shock behind her. No, her attention was focused on the four robotic animals before her. A blue wolf with violet optics; a red fox with green optics; an aqua porpoise with blue optics; and a golden lion with amber optics.

One-by-one, they transformed, into their robot modes, and walked towards Emma, with the taller blue femme at the front.

Flora gasped again - Emma was no longer standing there, in her place was a silver Transformer with wings! Flora was shocked...this was what everybody was talking about..._Angel_...

_I...I've just seen something amazing!_ Flora realised.

Emma, as Angel, didn't seem aware of this, and just covered her optics with her servos, because she had started to cry. "Mamma! Pappa!" She whispered. "Aqua and Audacity..."

Flora's heart beat hard in her chest. This was Emma's/Angel's family, and it was clear that these were only memories...they must be dead...

Flora instantly regretted arguing with her parents that morning, and vowed to make amends with them as soon as possible...if she even got the chance. She was realising that nothing in life was ever certain, and that the _real_ reason she didn't want to go back to England was because she would miss her family and friends too much. She decided not to argue with her parents, though. It was only for another year, and then she could stay in Detroit and become a police-woman, like she wanted to. She would have liked to have gone to school with Miko and Sari, but she knew that she was learning better at the school in England.

Flora suddenly realised that she was no longer alone, and turned to see the red and orange female Transformer from before, along with a dark red male Transformer.

Flora gasped again, and this time it snapped Emma/Angel out of her reverie, and the blue light and holographic images disappeared.

The silver femme turned around, transforming back into a human not of her own accord, but Flare-Up and Warpath had already seen.

"A-Angel?" Flare-Up stepped forwards.

Emma nodded slowly, and wiped her eyes. "Y-Yes...it's me...I just...look different..."

"You're an...organic...?" Flare-Up blinked.

"A human, missy." Flora stated, and Flare-Up glanced at her. "And, we're not _contaminated_ or anything, just so's you know." She held up a finger. "Not at all."

Flare-Up gave her a Look. "I never said you were, 'just so's you know'." She mimicked.

Flora's hands flew to her hips. "Your tone implied otherwise!"

"Don't just assume!" Flare-Up snapped, living up to her name.

Emma watched them in surprise, and then she started to giggle. The girls glanced at her, surprised to see her laughing now. It was a melodic sound, one that Flare-Up hadn't heard in awhile.

"Ah, it reminds me of when you used to argue with Elita-One, Flare-Up." Emma told her, wiping her eyes again as she smiled, this time. "Elita-One didn't go offline, either, but she suffered a worse fate than me...there's so much that you don't know..."

Flare-Up was shocked, and seemed about to respond, when Warpath finished a communication with the Elite Guard, and said: "Okay, we need to get you two back to the Elite Guard."

"Where's my Dad?" Flora asked, instantly.

"I know how to find out." Emma said, and focused on her bond with Jazz. _Jazz, are you there?_

_Ems?_ Jazz sounded surprised but relieved to hear her. _Where are you? Are you okay?_

_I'm okay, and so's Flora. We're at the old dojo, I dunno how we got here or why, but I have so much to tell you..._

_Warpath said that he and Flare-Up are taking you back to Sentinel._ Jazz told her.

_No, Flora and I have to get to where Ratchet is._ Urgency laced Emma's thoughts. _Don't ask me how I know this, but Shockwave's going after Arcee to get the activation codes for Omega Supreme to bring the weapons back online and I have to help Ratchet stop that from happening!_

_Emma..._

_So, tell me where he is, quick!_

Jazz hesitated, and then told her. He knew her well enough to know that she was going to follow her instincts anyway. He also contacted Warpath again, and told him to go back to Sentinel and say that Flare-Up was taking the girls somewhere else, but not to say where.

Warpath was skeptical, but when Flare-Up gave him a Look, he relented. He was just as stunned as she was to have discovered that the organic was their old friend, Angel. Warpath had a feeling that all Flare-Up _really_ wanted to do was sit down and have a good chat with her best friend, but right now they both had their orders from Jazz.

Flare-Up transformed, and allowed Emma and Flora to sit on the back of her alt. mode, putting aside her fear of organics for her old friend's sake and, for this, Emma was grateful.

"This. Is. So. Cool!" Flora exclaimed, as they zoomed out onto the street.

* * *

"So, what are we looking for?" Fanzone asked, following Ratchet down the hall.

They stopped in front of a door. "Let's just say that everything you need to know is behind this door." He inserted the key-card into the slot, and the door opened.

Inside was a med-bay room. A beautiful magenta and white female Autobot lay offlined on a berth. Standing by the berth were Flare-Up; Flora and Emma.

"Daddy!" Flora ran to her Father, and hugged him. "I'm so sorry about what happened this morning!"

Fanzone hugged his daughter back, but seemed confused. "How did you get here before us?" He wanted to know.

Flora was about to answer, but then she didn't know. She turned to Emma and Flare-Up, and they shrugged. Flora turned back to her Father, as they approached the berth. "This is Arcee - she's got information within her processor that links her to Omega Supreme."

"Right." Fanzone rolled his eyes.

"Arcee, it's me, Ratchet." The white and red med-bot said, gently.

"Thank you, Ratchet." A cold, British voice suddenly said from the doorway. "You just saved me the effort of searching for her myself."

They all turned to see a large Decepticon, and he was holding Ultra Magnus' hammer.

"Shockwave!" Emma gasped. She suddenly remembered something. "Hey, you, I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"We will have plenty of time to get reacquainted later, Angel." Shockwave replied, before he attacked Ratchet!

Ratchet defended himself with his electro-magnetic powers, sending Shockwave flying back into a wall.

Ratchet picked up Fanzone and Flora, and set them on the berth with Arcee. "We gotta get her out of here!" He stated.

Flare-Up nodded, and grabbed Emma, before they hurried out of the room. Ratchet explained to Fanzone about Arcee in a slightly more detailed way than what Flora had, just as laser fire hit the wall near them.

Shockwave had transformed to his tank-mode, and was in pursuit!

Emma, clinging to one of Flare-Up's wheels as she was perched on the fem-bot's shoulder, half-turned, and used a shield to block to attacks from hitting them.

Ratchet pushed the berth into a room and told everybody to stay there, just as he was attacked by Shockwave! Emma jumped down from Flare-Up's shoulder and hurried after them, into the room where Ultra Magnus was!

Ratchet was struggling to get up after he had been injured by Shockwave, whom was now standing over Ultra Magnus, and preparing to kill him with his own hammer!

"No!" Emma cried, running forwards and standing protectively in front of Ultra Magnus, with her arms out on either side of her. She knew that Shockwave wouldn't risk hurting her and, sure enough, he hesitated. "Shockwave!" Emma stared into his one red optic, which reminded her of a traffic light. "Why did you do it? Why did you kill Blurr?! Because you did that, a Vampire was born and attacked us!" She lowered her voice, so that Ratchet wouldn't hear, but Shockwave heard her, perfectly. "He _bit_ me - if Lockdown hadn't cut out half of the Venom, then I'd be a _full_ Vampire! This is all your fault!" She accused him. Was it _really_ such a smart idea to mouth off to a fifty foot evil robot wielding a giant weather-controlling hammer?

"Is it _my_ fault that the Autobot scientists gave up after failing to find an Anti-Venom?" Shockwave wanted to know. "That they disregard the existence of Vampires as nothing more than fairbot-tales, and have no ways of combating them?"

"Maybe if you weren't at _war_ with the Autobots, then you could work together to defeat the Vampires!" Emma argued.

Shockwave leaned down closer to her. "You...believe we should work alongside the ones that abandoned your home planet at the time of its greatest need?"

That stopped her for a moment. "Abandoned? What are you _talking_ about...?"

Just then, Ratchet used his powers to disable the Magnus Hammer, and Flare-Up came flying out of nowhere. She hit Shockwave with a flying judo kick, and sent him flying back. The Magnus Hammer flew out of his hands, and Ratchet caught it skillfully.

He stood there before Ultra Magnus, and Emma and Flare-Up.

"Drop the hammer and step away!" Sentinel's voice boomed, as he stood there in the doorway with his shield and lance activated. "Always knew you were an old, worn-out model, but a traitor?"

Flare-Up stepped protectively in front of Ratchet. She wasn't sure what was going on, but her instincts were telling her to defend the old medic.

Just then, there was an explosion from nearby.

Ratchet gasped, and they all ran through the gaping hole in the wall and into another room, which was now missing its ceiling.

Shockwave was rising into the air, and he had Arcee draped carelessly in his arms!

"Th-that was Shockwave!" Sentinel cried.

"And he's got Arcee." Ratchet was worried beyond belief now. "If he can get those activation codes..."

Sentinel quickly opened up a com-link with the Jet-Twins. "Jetfire! Jetstorm! Open fire! Take down Omega Supreme!"

"What?!" Ratchet cried. "You'll blow us up with him!"

Flare-Up and Emma had succeeded in digging Flora and her Father out of the rubble.

"This is why I hate machines!" Fanzone complained. He crossed his arms and glared at Sentinel. "Certain machines more than others."

The huge energy beam shot towards Omega Supreme, but Megatron Transwarped away at the last possible seconds, and the beam careened off into space somewhere.

* * *

Jetfire; Jetstorm; Jazz; Flare-Up; Emma; Flora and Fanzone were at the Space-Bridge Nexus. The grey and red Preceptor was there, too.

"What you did was reckless, and in complete disregard for the rules of Autobot Law!" Alpha Trion stated sternly.

"And I'd do it again if it means saving Cybertron from the enemy." Sentinel replied.

"If it was up to me alone, you'd never get that chance." Alpha Trion told him, quietly. "The real heroes today are Ratchet and Flare-Up, and these organics. You have our thanks."

"For what?" Ratchet shook his head. "They got Arcee."

Preceptor said: "I can assure you, Ratchet, the damage done to her circuitry is completely irreversible."

"Yeah...irreversible..." Ratchet said, and then he broke off and looked towards somebody that was approaching.

It was Warpath, and with him was a white and red female medi-bot.

"I was hoping to see you before you left." She smiled at Ratchet. "It's been a long time."

"R-Red Alert..." Ratchet blushed slightly. "It has..."

Emma and Flora exchanged a glance, and giggled.

Fanzone turned and saw the Transwarp field. "That's going back to Earth, right?"

"Only one way to find out, Daddy." Flora replied, and the two of them walked into the blue light.

"We'll see each other soon." Red Alert said to Ratchet.

"Yeah, same." Flare-Up looked at Emma. "Angel."

Emma saluted with two fingers, quickly. "Yup." She replied, and she and Ratchet went to walk into the blue light.

"Not so fast!" Sentinel stopped them. "Hand over the hammer. It belongs to the Elite Guard!"

"It belongs to Ultra Magnus!" Ratchet corrected him. "And we'll give it to _him_ when he wakes up!" He suddenly grabbed Emma by the back of her top and ran with her through the blue light.

Sentinel made to go after them, but Jazz zipped in front of him.

"S'cool. I'll go." Jazz said, firmly.

"Yeah, I bet you will, and then you won't come back!" Sentinel glared at him. "Think _very_ carefully about your next move, Jazz - it could cost you your career. What could be more important than that?"

Jazz looked at Sentinel. Sentinel looked at Jazz.

Jazz sighed. 'You're right, SP." Sentinel looked smug. "There's nothing more important than that...except for my spark-partner." Sentinel looked shocked, and then Jazz turned and ran through the blue light, which then vanished.

* * *

Back on Earth, Fanzone (who had been dumped unceremoniously on the ground along with Flora) had a bone to pick with Ratchet.

"I get mixed up in a war; nearly stepped on; blasted; buried and possibly zapped into space, and now, you just made me an accomplice to intergalactic grand theft!"

"Oh, lighten up, Daddy." Flora cringed.

"I'll be upset if I want!"

A police bot chose that moment to state: "Halt. You are under arrest."

Ratchet used his powers to destroy the drone.

"Let's say we call it even." Fanzone nodded.

Flora giggled. "Hey, Daddy, I've decided to go back to England." She told him. "After everything we've been through today, I just wanted you to know that I still respect you enough to go along with your decisions. I'm probably not old enough to make my own."

Fanzone smiled at her. "You were very grown-up today, Flora."

"Can I get a motorbike then?"

"No."

Just then, came the sounds of Transwarping, and Jazz made the scene.

"Oh no," Ratchet clung on tight to the Magnus Hammer. "Sentinel's not getting _this_ back without a fight!"

"Not my gig anymore." Jazz held up his hands. "Sentinel just ain't playin' my tune. My kinda vibe tells me I should be sittin' in on _this_ scene for awhile." He smiled, mostly at Emma. "I know now what's important."

Emma grinned, and launched herself at him, jumping up and hugging him around the neck as best she could. "Thank you, Jazz!" She told him.

* * *

Shockwave changed his colour scheme to the grey and purple of a true Decepticon, as Omega Supreme Transwarped to an area over Earth's moon.

He had some bad news for Megatron, though. "It seems that Angel has been involved in a battle against a Vampire."

"Is she okay?" It was not Megatron that spoke, but a suddenly anxious Starscream.

Shockwave regretted to inform them that she was not. "She was bitten, but she informed me that Lockdown was able to cut out half of the Venom, thus making her a hybrid, like him."

"She spoke to you?" Megatron asked, sharply. His red optics glowed slightly.

"Angel thinks we should work together with the Autobots to rid the universe of Vampires." Shockwave explained. "I fear that her time spent with the Autobots has aided with her not remembering how they abandoned her in her time of need."

"We must rectify this, immediately." Megatron agreed. "Which Vampire was responsible for this unfortunate incident?"

"One that was created by myself, my liege." Shockwave sounded almost ashamed. "I apologize for this mistake."

"All is forgiven, Shockwave." Megatron assured him. "It may offer us a unique opportunity to find a cure, when Angel returns to us. May I ask which Autobot you killed?"

"Blurr."

The captured intel. bot, Arcee, turned to him. Her blue optics were fearful. _Blurr...no..._ She thought. She suddenly felt so alone, and empty, in this huge, cold universe. She turned back to the window, and gazed down at the blue planet far below them all. "Ratchet..." She whispered.

* * *

On Earth, everybody was eager to hear the travelers' story, which was told quite a few times, and seemed to change every time Flora told it.

Sari and Miko wanted to know about Cybertron, and wished that they could go, too. Everybody kept saying 'after the war'.

Emma spent a lot of her time with Jazz and Prowl. Jazz told them that he may have lost his place within the Elite Guard - Emma and Prowl were sympathetic.

Emma told them about what she had experienced. She told them what Shockwave had said, and finally revealed her Decepticon pendant. She told them about about Flare-Up and the holograms and also about the fact that her Mother was now a Vampire. This put all three of them on alert.

A few days later, it happened.

Emma was out late with her two cyber-ninjas, they had gone to the meadow on the mountain, and were now heading back just before dawn - they'd been up all night without sleep, but none of them cared.

It was beautiful starlit and moonlit night/early morning, and Emma raised her face to the sky as she rode with Prowl down Princess Street.

"Whoa, what's that?" Jazz's voice suddenly said, and they stopped.

"Looks like a flood." Emma said, because Princess Street looked more like a swamp. She cringed. "I think a sewer pipe might've broken, or something..."

The two cyber-ninjas transformed, and Prowl set Emma down onto the ground.

_Something wrong?_ Emma thought.

_There's something out there._ Prowl replied.

It came faster than a shark attack. One second, Prowl was standing there, and the next he was knocked off of his feet by what looked like a water whip straight out of Avatar.

In another second, the ground rumbled, and a wall of concrete rose up and hit Jazz, sending him flying into a wall. The rocks took out a street light, plunging the street into semi-darkness.

"What's going on?!" Emma cried, trying to steady herself on the shaking ground. Water sloshed around her feet. "Guys?!" Emma turned around when they didn't answer. She froze, and gasped.

Standing over Prowl was a Transformer, with water bubbling up around them. Jazz was pinned against a wall by concrete, being controlled by a second Transformer.

Prowl quickly maneuvered his way out of danger, but water snaked up his ankles and froze him in place, as his attacker lunged at him and, in a savage way, punched him in the face.

Jazz's attacker also had a very brutal assault, pounding him with blocks of concrete to the head and chest-plates. Pink energon splashed to the wall behind him, and Prowl's own pink energon trickled in with the water.

Emma would have usually been affected by this, it being energon and her Vampire side craving it, but because it was the energon of her spark-partners, she didn't crave it in that way - she was horrified, and why couldn't she move to help her loved ones?!

Why could these Transformers control water and earth, respectively? Emma watched as Prowl's attacker stopped to lick the energon from one hand. Jazz's attacker, almost in the same motion, leaned forwards and licked the energon off of a cut on Jazz's face.

Emma gasped, again. "V-Vampires!" She cried.

The moon chose that moment to come out from behind a cloud, shedding some light on the situation.

Emma froze, feeling numb like her entire body was made of ice.

Prowl's attacker was an aqua colour, with red optics rimmed with blue. Jazz's attacker was red, with red optics rimmed with green.

Both of them were femmes, with animal-like qualities about their physiques, and blue stones on their foreheads.

Glittering white fangs glistened in their mouths.

Emma stared at them, feeling a terrible mix of horror and pain in her chest, and tears welled in her eyes. "No...no...not you two..." She shook her head. "Holy Primus, no!" She sobbed, and two tears dripped down her face.

Jazz and Prowl suddenly moved, despite their injuries, and attacked. They both got in a few punched to their opponents, not to harm them, but to disable them.

The femmes hissed angrily, and retaliated, and their physical strength, combined with their ability to control a certain element each, was incredible. Prowl and Jazz were skilled ninjas, but this was something completely different!

Emma, eventually, managed to find her voice, and yelled: "_Aqua, Audacity, stop, they're my spark-partners_!" Prowl and Jazz froze. "_Prowl, Jazz, please - those two are my sisters_!" Emma's voice rang out shrilly, and she was still crying.

The two female Vampires froze as well, and turned to the red-haired young woman. Emma was staring at them.

Jazz and Prowl suddenly both recognized the two femmes from the holograms they had once seen. They sensed the fear and anguish coming from Emma.

The red femme, Audacity, hissed quietly. "Angel?" She guessed.

"Our little sister?" The aptly-coloured Aqua tilted her head to one side. "Master Fhantom was right when he said that we would find you here."

"Oh no...what has he _done_ to you?" Emma whispered.

"Nothing bad," Audacity replied. "You yourself know that the Venom isn't a curse."

"Yes, it is!" Emma cried. "Vampires are terrible beings, drinking the life force from other creatures!"

"Oh, well, that's a matter of opinion." Aqua sighed. "So, these are your spark-partners?" She glanced at the two cyber-ninjas. "Why don't we just convert them for you?"

"That way, you can be with them, forever." Audacity added.

"No, don't you _dare_!" Emma yelled. "Get away from them!" She clenched her fists. _I don't want to fight my sisters...I can't believe they're here...I remember them, but not like this!_

Aqua raised her hands. "Calm down, Angel - we just wish that somebody could make that choice for _our_ spark-partners."

"You mean Shockwave and Blitzwing?" Emma said, and watched as her sisters flinched. "How could you _say_ that?! I would _never_ want that for Jazz and Prowl! I let Fang bite me to stop him from biting Prowl!"

"You're half like us." Aqua looked at her. "That means that you have a power like ours." She manipulated a stream of water.

"How can you call the Venom a bad thing, little sister?" Audacity added.

"Because it's turned you and Mum and maybe even Dad into _monsters_." Emma whispered.

The sound of sirens could suddenly be heard - Optimus and the others were coming!

The night was also turning into day - morning was fast approaching.

Aqua and Audacity exchanged glances.

"We'll see you again, Angel." Audacity told her.

"Remember, what Master Fhantom wants, Master Fhantom gets." Aqua added, and disappeared into the water.

Audacity vanished in a wave of earth.

"Wait!" Emma cried, but it was too late, and her sisters were gone as quickly as they had appeared.

Emma's knees shook, and she collapsed to said knees, not caring about the sewer water. She began to sob, and Jazz and Prowl could do nothing but hold her, as the others arrived...


	28. A New Day Has Come

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Adult themes

. Low level animated violence

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

AllSpark Princess - let's see, shall we?

* * *

**More Author's Notes:**

I named this chapter after this song: watch?v=Q5Ev4J2Y_zw .Please listen to it, I think it fits. ^^

Oh, and here's Miko and Flora's song: watch?v=MyOKEd7r8Mg .

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

A New Day Has Come

* * *

"So, how come they're here?" Kerry pointed to Aquilla (in child-sized orange maid uniform) and Audrey (in a matching white one), who were staring wide-eyed at a huge cat-fish with even bigger eyes that was swimming back and forth in its little tank, at Mama Fuyano's.

"It's bring your daughters to work day." Emma replied honestly, as she wiped some crumbs off a table. "That's why Sari's designing some crazy new invention for her Dad today, and Flora's on the beat."

"When is Flora supposed to be heading back to England?" Sakura asked.

Emma stopped cleaning the table, and sighed. "On Saturday." She replied.

Aiko looked shocked. "But...that's the day after tomorrow!" She exclaimed.

Emma nodded. "Yeah...hey, anyone seen Miko today?"

"_Kenmei no henkō_." Aiko whispered to Zakuro, and Zakuro agreed that Emma had changed the subject on purpose.

The bell on the restaurant door tinkled, and they all looked up, expecting a customer. Instead, it was Bulkhead and Bumblebee, but everybody was happy to see them anyway - Mama Fuyano set them straight to work, even though they weren't employees, and there was hardly any time for talking.

However, when Miko came in, everybody took one look at her face and stopped working. They crowded around her.

"Miko, what's wrong?" Kerry asked.

"_Daijoubu ka_?" Sakura asked, at the same time.

Miko wasn't crying - Miko _never_ cried. She was, however, upset, and it was written on her face. She held up her phone.

"Oh, yeah, that clears everything up." Bumblebee stated, and Zakuro nudged him.

Miko sighed. "I got a call from my parents...in Japan..." She stared at her feet. "They...they want me to come home...like, this weekend..."

"For how long?" Bulkhead asked quietly.

"To stay."

* * *

On Friday morning, Emma made a very important decision. The truth was, she hadn't brought her daughters to work on Thursday because everybody else was doing it, but because she had realised something.

The final battle was taking place soon - Emma had known, as soon as she'd been transported to Cybertron, that the time was fast approaching.

She wanted her daughters out of the city for that final battle. Some things were going to happen that the little ones weren't ready to see yet, and there was only one thing to do. There were only two people Emma would trust to take care of her kids when she wasn't there.

Sai and Victoria listened as Emma explained what she was asking of them, and then they agreed. They would go to Florida. They were going to take the girls to Rinsey World (which was this world's equivilant of Disney World). Emma kind of wished that she could go but, on the other hand, she needed to stay in Detroit.

They had a party on Friday at Sumdac Tower. Miko; Flora and the twins received Autobot pendants, much to their delight, and the only bad thing was that Bulkhead wasn't there.

Miko was disappointed, and didn't really believe that he was out on patrol but, then again, she'd thought it also would have been too sad if he'd come so, in a way, she was glad.

But, still upset.

* * *

*Insert Song: Sharing The Same Tears*

* * *

"Somehow, we always end up back here." Emma said to Jazz, as he pulled up out the front of the Detroit Metro Airport.

"Yeah, but this time _we're_ not the ones flying." Jazz reminded her.

Prowl and Flora pulled up beside them. Miko had ridden with Flora's parents and Sari in Bumblebee's alt. mode, because Flora wanted to ride a motorbike one last time. Sai pulled up with Victoria. The humans and the Autobots (in their holoforms) all walked into the airport together, and checked in. It was ironic that all three flights were leaving at about the same time, and Emma was suddenly wishing that she had thought this through.

Still, everybody had agreed with her that Aquilla and Audrey would be better off in another state, since nobody knew when the Decepticons would strike.

They stood by the window, watching the planes coming in and taking off. Emma stood with her daughters, pointing out various things, and everybody gave them some room.

A voice came over the PA system. "_Delta Airlines_ flight 903Q74 to Orlando International Airport, first boarding call from Gate Two."

Tears immediately came to Emma's eyes. This was it.

Emma gathered her daughters in her arms, and the three of them hugged.

"You'll have a _brilliant_ time in Rinsey World, and you'll be back before you know it!" Emma said, keeping her tears at bay.

Aquilla and Audrey looked up at her with big orange eyes, and hugged her tightly again. Emma placed a hand on the lockets that both of them wore, and the power of their sparks and bonds was evident. People in the airport walked slowly, and some people stopped outright and stared at the scene, until Sai glared at them, and they moved on.

"I love you." Emma told her daughters.

"I love you too, Mummy!" The twins said in unison.

Primus, why was this so hard?!

Sai came forwards then - the Autobot warrior had a faraway look in his electric blue eyes. Emma straightened up, and Sai placed a hand on her forehead briefly, before taking the twins by the hands, and leading them towards the gate, where a stewardess checked their passports and waved them through.

The twins turned and waved to their Mother, before following Sai through the doors.

Emma watched the twins go, and then felt a hand on her shoulder. Victoria looked at her.

"It'll be okay." The red-haired woman whispered.

Emma nodded, and hugged Victoria, a few tears leaking from her eyes.

Then, Victoria was gone as well, and Emma was left standing in the terminal. She stood by the window, and barely heard the PA system state: "_Air France_ flight 823T7QR to London Heathrow Airport, first boarding call at gate six."

Emma was watching the plane take off, the one that was carrying her only daughters. She watched it taxi down the runway quickly, and then lift off into the sky. Her spark was being stretched, pulled as the plane took her daughters away from her, and then it snapped back like an elastic band, leaving only a thin strand there. It hurt, but she knew that it was for the best.

She sensed a presence behind her, and half-turned to see Prowl.

"Come on," he said, quietly. "Time to say goodbye to Flora." He looked into her eyes. "It's okay." The samurai/ninja told her.

Emma nodded, and wiped her eyes. "I know..." They walked over to where Flora was saying goodbye to her parents, and then Flora hugged Sari and Miko, before turning to Emma.

"Thank you, Emma," Flora said, hugging the older woman tightly. "For everything."

Emma understood what Flora meant - she was talking about Wasp, and their trip to Cybertron, and a whole lot of other things, as well. "I know...I'm sorry..." Emma whispered.

"Don't be." Flora looked up, and smiled, as she adjusted the straps of her carry-on bag. "This is by far the best thing that has _ever_ happened to me." She turned and walked to her gate, where the stewardess checked her passport and waved her through.

Flora waved one last time to her friends and family, before she too, was gone.

Sari sighed. Her pigtails drooped (how did she _do_ that?). "Two down, and one to go." She muttered, looking at Miko.

Just then, the PA system said: "_US Airways_ flight 504RT2 to Narita Airport, Japan, first boarding call at gate one."

"Aww..." Sari groaned, and then she and Miko hugged. "Bye, Miko."

"_Ja ne_." Miko tried to smile. "See ya later, Sari."

Sari tried to smile too, but it looked broken.

Emma hugged Miko, and then so did Bumblebee.

Miko sniffled, and adjusted her backpack, before walking towards her gate. She wasn't happy - where was Bulkhead?

"_Miko_!" A voice yelled.

Miko turned, in shock, to see five people running towards her - Sakura; Zakuro; Kerry; Aiko and...Bulkhead! They must've decided to come after all, or the girls had convinced Bulkhead to come!

The girls reached Miko and surrounded her with a big hug, speaking in rapid Japanese and English, before letting her go.

Miko faced Bulkhead, and he faced her.

"I..." Bulkhead muttered. He was holding something behind his back. He looked ashamed. "I'm sorry I didn't come to your party, last night, but I was...well, here, this is for you...I made it..." He thrust whatever he was holding behind him at her.

Everybody was watching them by now - the scene was very sweet, but a little bit unexpected. They were surprised.

Miko looked at the gift in surprise - it was a panda-bear, hand-made but so well-done so that you couldn't tell! It had a green ribbon tied around its neck, and big blue eyes.

Miko took the panda slowly, and looked at it, before she looked up at Bulkhead. "Can I name it...Bulkhead?"

Mama Fuyano's workers gasped silently, clasping their hands. This was better than a romance novel!

Bulkhead nodded, slowly. "S-sure...if you want..." He replied, awkwardly.

Miko's light brown eyes sparkled and, before anybody could stop her, she threw her arms around Bulkhead's neck, hugging him tightly. She then kissed him on the cheek, before giggling and running to her gate, where the stewardess checked her passport and waved her through.

Everybody watched her go. Bulkhead's hand was to his cheek, where Miko was kissed it.

"Well." Emma blinked.

"Well." Sari agreed.

"She named the bear after him." Sakura nodded. "That means that they'll be together forever."

Bulkhead gasped. "Huh? What? Forever?"

* * *

"Master Yoketron had it pegged - you're the real deal, Prowl." Jazz complimented, as Prowl used Processor-Over-Matter to levitate some oil drums. "So, how come you never wrapped up your cyber-ninja training?" He wanted to know, and Emma watched Prowl's expression darken.

She was sitting on a nearby crate, watching as Sari fed mealworms to Scuz-Bag, and just then they all heard Bumblebee's horn, and the yellow speedster cried out: "Guys! Guys! Big news!"

Prowl, his concentration broken, let the oil barrel fall. Its contents spilled out over the floor (one could almost hear Mixmaster groaning) and Bumblebee and Bulkhead both lost control as they drove in.

Jazz and Prowl jumped out of the way, and the two Autobots whose names started with Bu- crashed into a wall.

Emma and Sari exchanged a glance.

"That's two reasons right there." Prowl told Jazz, pointing to Bumblebee and Bulkhead, who transformed.

"I just picked up Omega Supreme's energy signature!" Bulkhead explained. "And..."

"He's on the moon!" Bumblebee stated. "_Earth's_ moon!" He added.

_Yup._ Emma nodded to herself. _The final battle is almost here...I can sense it..._

* * *

On the moon, Shockwave was now busily trying to access the top-secret data in Arcee's memory. It was not doing a shred of good for her processor. Further probing opened up an older data file, which revealed that she had once been a school teacher.

"Good morning, boys and girls. My name is Teaching Unit RC-687-040, but you may call me Arcee."

The Decepticons weren't sure how a school teacher goes to being an intelligence agent gathering information from deep behind enemy lines, but it didn't matter - they _needed_ those access codes, to gain control over Omega Supreme!

"If anybot can access them," Megatron added, gazing at Shockwave. "It is _you_, my ever-loyal Shockwave."

Shockwave's optic glowed. Praise was rare from Megatron, oh so rare!

"Uh-oh," Starscream said, looking at Lugnut. "Looks like Megatron has a _new_ favourite."

Lugnut frowned, and turned to him.

"And I'll give you a hint - _it ain't you_!" Starscream did so _love_ stirring up trouble!

Lugnut stomped forwards and knocked Shockwave out of the way. "What about me, Master?!" He asked. "Have _I_ not served you loyally?!"

"That's a very good question, young bot." Arcee said. "Only the All-Spark knows for sure."

Shockwave got up and said to Lugnut: "While you were fawning at Megatron's feet, I risked spark and servo as a double-agent on Cybertron!"

"Cybertron is our home planet." Arcee explained. "We must protect it from the growing Decepticon menace, so that it does not end up like our sister planet, Teramina."

Megatron sighed. "Can't you shut her up?" He asked nobot in particular. "She makes Blitzwing sound like he's got his head screwed on straight."

Starscream smirked at Lugnut. "Ya see?" He asked quietly. "Now he even likes _Blitzwing_ better than you."

Lugnut responded by knocking Shockwave out of the way again (poor Shockwave!). "_I_ am Megatron's most faithful servant!"

"Have you blown a circuit?!" Shockwave's British-accent rang clear. "I'm trying to work here!"

He and Lugnut began to scuffle.

"Oh, for spark's sake." Megatron closed his optics and placed a servo to his forehead. Where was Angel when you needed her? She was just about the only one that had any _real_ control over these other mechs, aside from Megatron himself, that is! They listened to her...plus, Starscream hadn't been _half_ as annoying when Angel was around!

Megatron was briefly caught up in a memory of the old days, and Lugnut and Shockave were busy flighting, so none of them really noticed when Starscream's head jumped off the bench and rolled out the door...

Starscream had a plan!

* * *

Back on Earth, Optimus was saying: "The energy signal hasn't moved." He was checking the scanners.

Ratchet said: "That just concerns Megatron's got control of Omega Supreme. I say we go rescue him _and_ Arcee!" Ratchet had felt a bond with Arcee the moment he had seen her on the battlefield. Not a spark-partner bond, but more of a Father-Daughter bond. There were different kinds of them, after all. He added, ominously: "_We need to use the Magnus Hammer_."

Optimus just looked at him, and everybody got the sense that he was involved in a deeply painful memory...

If painful could be called losing his spark-partner and his best friend, being expelled from the academy for something that wasn't his fault and being told that he would never be anything great than, yeah, it was painful beyond comparison!

"I...we _can't_ use that!" Optimus told them.

"So, how're we supposed to take on Megatron?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"We gotta even the odds somehow." Jazz added.

"We will." Optimus agreed. "But not with this." he motioned to the Magnus Hammer. "What I had in mind was an upgrade, some kind of rocket-booster so I can keep up with Megatron."

"Are you out of your Motherboard and mind?!" Ratchet glared at him. "Autobots don't fly!"

"What about Jetfire and Jetstorm?" Bulkhead said.

"And Prowl's rocket-powered, side-car...thingie?" Bumblebee added.

"Heck, even _I've_ got a jet-pack." Sari grinned.

"You can take my armor and study its boosters." Prowl offered, removing the appropriate parts.

"And I _know_ my Dad'll wanna help." Sari said, proudly. "He's a whiz at reverse engineering."

"And I outghta have my processor examined." Ratchet shook his head.

"Meanwhile, we'll need to find out what Megatron's up to." Optimus went on.

"I'll Transwarp to the moon and spy on him." Prowl volunteered.

Jazz sensed a spark of 'oh no you _won't_!' from Emma, and so put a servo on Prowl's shoulder and said: "And take five on your cyber-ninja training? No dice."

Emma giggled. "Jazz, I hate to say it, but you're starting to sound just like Sentinel...in a weird, sort of urban-rapper kind of way..."

Jazz shrugged. "Prowl's close to a real breakthrough, cool cat. And, I've got a vibe says we're gonna need every fighting advantage we can get our servos on."

Optimus nodded. "Agreed. We'll send someone else."

"Who'd be crazy enough to volunteer for _that_ mission?" Bumblebee grinned.

They all looked at him.

"Why's everyone looking at me?" Bumblebee complained. "Why's everyone _always_ looking at me?"

"Bumblebee," Emma said. He glanced at her. "When you go to the moon, can you get my phone for me, please? I left it in a crater up there when Slipstream kidnaped me, and I miss it..."

Bumblebee groaned. "Oh, _okay_ then!" He caved in. "But, if I get slagged by some Decepticons, _somebody_ owes me a new chassis!"

He didn't know it but, at that time, Starscream was fixing up a new body for himself, and Megatron was planning to clone...Omega Supreme!

* * *

Meanwhile, Jazz was training with Prowl and Emma. He told them that All-Spark was everywhere, all around them and within them (mostly within Emma). they needed to reach out, and feel it...

Prowl did so, focusing his spiritual being on the energy he sensed, the energy that was _life_.

He did so, and both he and Emma glowed, as Prowl summoned up an All-Spark Fragment!

Jazz stared at it in impressed shock.

Emma reached up, and happily absorbed the Fragment.

* * *

~Flashback~

_"Mamma told me about something today." Angel was lying on the grassy field overlooking the Teraminian castle, and Starscream was with her. They were watching the clouds. "It's about the power of the All-Spark - she said I must never use it, though."_

_"How come?" Starscream wanted to know, staring lazily up at the purplish-blue sky. It was on days like this he was just thankful to be alive, and he knew that Angel felt the same way - their sparks were beating in unison, after all!_

_A blue metallic dragonfly landed on his nose. "Hey, listen!" She chirped._

_Starscream shook his head slightly, and the dragonfly flew away quickly._

_"Because I'm told I'll die if I do." Angel said calmly._

_Starscream sat up fast, and looked at her. "Then...then don't use it! Angel, I forbid you to use it!" Why did she sound so calm?!_

_Angel looked at him. "Starscream, I'm a Princess of this planet. Being a Princess means being a leader, and being a leader means that you sacrifice things for your planet and its citizens." She sighed. "I'm afraid of dying," she admitted, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest-plates. "But, if it means protecting everybody, then I'll do it."_

_"But, Angel, you're _not_ this planet's leader!" Starscream reminded her. "Even though Aqua has gone missing, Audacity is still older than you, right? So...so, she'll just have to become Queen!"_

_Angel shook her head. "Didn't Blitzwing tell you?"_

_"Tell me what?" Starscream dreaded what Angel was about to tell him._

_"Audacity has vanished, as well." Angel said, in a soft whisper. A cool wind seemed to blow. "I'm the only one that's left...I have to become Queen. My coronation ceremony is next week..."_

_"If your sisters are found...?" Starscream muttered._

_"Then I can go back to my life and not have to worry about anything." Angel clarified._

_Starscream stood up._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"To help Shockwave and Blitzwing track down your sisters, wherever they may be!" Starscream informed her. his red optics glowed, and he looked down at her with a military-like expression. "As your first knight, and as your spark-partner, this I swear."_

_Angel looked surprised, but then she smiled. "Too bad...you could've been King."_

_"What?" Starscream blinked, and then smirked. "I guess I'll just have to settle for being a prince, then. Will you come with me?"_

_"I thought...you'd never ask..."_

_"Yes...so, tell me more about this power that I never want you to use..."_

_"Well..."_

~End Of Flashback~

* * *

Whilst Emma was wrapped up in her flashback, which nobody seemed to be able to snap her out of, a terrible thing was taking place.

Huge purple and dark green clones were attacking the city, and a siren was wailing - Megatron had cloned Omega Surpeme, and they had imprinted on Lugnut. Now, they were attacking the city, mainly Sumdac Tower!

"The Tower!" Sari gasped. She was wearing her jetpack. "My Dad's in there!"

"The forcefield will protect him." Optimus said. "But we have to draw those clones away from the rest of the city!" He too was wearing a jetpack (which had taken a lot of crashing to finally perfect...somehow) and he was carrying the Magnus Hammer.

Sari's spark hammered in her chest - this was bad.

"Our only hope is an aerial attack with the Magnus Hammer!" Ratchet said gruffly.

"Are you forgetting what happened the last time I tried to fly?" Optimus turned to him. "If I couldn't take on Starscream's fem-bot clone, what makes you think I can take on three Omega Supremes?"

Prowl fired up his own jet-pack. "Because I'll be right by your side." He said. "I know master Yoketron would say it's the ninja-bot, not the weapon."

"I'm going too!" Sari spoke up. "I have a jet-pack!"

Optimus looked down at her. "No Sari, it's..."

"Yeah, yeah, too dangerous, I know!" She snapped. "It's _always_ too dangerous!"

"I was _going_ to say it's more important for you to protect your Father and fellow organics!" Optimus told her.

Sari blinked. "Ohhhh...right. Sorry."

Optimus addressed the team. "The rest of you, go with Sari! Transform and roll out!"

* * *

Emma woke up slowly, aware that she had just learned a terrible thing. The power of the All-Spark...

She knew what must be happening by now - the entire city was shaking! Sari would be on the moon with Ratchet helping Arcee, and Bumblebee and Bulkhead would be taking down Shockwave. Optimus would be fighting Megatron, and Jazz and Prowl would have attempted to stop the Lugnut Supreme Clones, but now...

Emma gasped, and sat up fast. "Oh Primus, no! What am I still doing here?!" She jumped up. She was wearing a short black skirt and a white t-skirt with a short grey jacket, and she hurried to put on her rollerblades - she'd make more time that way!

As she skated out of the base and towards the Sumdac Tower, she thought: _Please, oh PLEASE don't let me be too late!_

As Emma skated, she thought about the past year and a bit. So much had changed..._she_ had changed, both physically and mentally. She'd discovered more of herself than she'd ever thought possible, and sometimes she hardly recognized herself, though she still thought she knew herself. Prowl was right - she _was_ adaptable, and that adaptability had helped her to handle things that most normal people would have gone crazy with.

Emma suddenly became aware of a pulling and tugging sensation within her, and looked up in shock to see dozens of All-Spark Fragments flying overhead, and heading towards the Tower! Oh no! Jazz and Prowl were already trying to summon up the Fragments, but it wouldn't be enough!

_Jazz! Prowl!_ Emma tried to call out through their bond. _Stop - wait for me!_

Suddenly, she looked up, and saw something above her that made her stop dead in her tracks. A jet had just appeared, and transformed into Starscream...but, what was keeping Starscream alive was the all-Spark Fragment in his forehead...which was now being summoned by the cyber-ninjas!

"Starscream, no!" Emma shouted, hardly able to hear herself, and she saw a flash of blue light around the Seeker, and had to look away because it was so bright.

There was an almighty crash nearby and, when Emma opened her eyes, there was Starscream lying grey and broken on the road in front of her. Emma didn't have to be a medic to know what her spark was now telling her - Starscream was dead.

"No..." Emma whispered, staring down at the lifeless shell.

Starscream...her knight...her Prince...the Father of her children (technically speaking)...he was dead.

Gone.

He would never be able to come back, now.

A terrible, clenching feeling enveloped Emma's chest, dragging her to her knees as she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. After all her attempts, all of her promises...just because she'd stayed too long in one particular flashback, now...Starscream was dead.

the tears came hard, and they came fast, and Emma could do nothing to stop them, even as the city shook around her. She sobbed loudly into her hands, a torrent of water crashing painfully through the levies of her heart, and washing her away...

* * *

Jazz and Prowl had no idea what had just happened. Their entire beings were focused on the task at hand.

"We're gonna need more spark-power to shield the city from the explosions!" Jazz stated, because the Lugnut Supremes had just been ordered to initiate their self-destruct function.

"Can't...pull in anymore Fragments..." Prowl realised. There was, of course, one big lump of Fragments, but if they summoned that then Emma would most likely die.

Emma...she was the more beautiful than any All-Spark to both Prowl and Jazz, and she was their strength, their sun and their moon. She was in danger...both Jazz and Prowl knew this, because the explosion that was coming would be too strong for even her shields. And, what about the _rest_ of the city?

Prowl realised, in that exact instant, what he would have to do, what Master Yoketron would _want_ him to do.

He had to protect his sun...his moon...the center of his universe...his _everything_...

Prowl began to hum again, and felt the strength of the All-Spark calling to his being, lifting him up towards it. He had expected it to feel cold...dying...but the All-Spark was warm and inviting to him, ready to accept him into its warm embrace...its presence was so much like Emma's, so warm and loving...Prowl's only regret was not being able to see Emma one last time.

"Prowl, no!" He heard Jazz call to him, as if through a thick fog. "We'll find another way!"

But, there _was_ no other way. Time had run out for them, and this was it.

Prowl turned to face Jazz, with the saddest smile on his face that had ever been witnessed by another. "Take care of Emma." He told Jazz, right before he was enveloped in a bright flash of blue light.

_Ah..._ Prowl thought, feeling warmth and calm washing over him like waves, and he let his body sink into the oblivion of the All-Spark...

* * *

Optimus opened his optics slowly, not sure what had happened. One second he had been fighting Megatron...and then...some sort of blue spirit had grabbed him and dragged him out of a shield formed around the Lugnut/Starscream Supremes, and then...then what?

"Prime!" Ratchet was running towards him, with the others. "We did it! The shield worked!"

"The Starscream Supremes are history!" Bumblebee was ecstatic. "And, everyone's okay!"

"Not...everybody..." A quiet voice stated, and everybody turned to see Jazz walking towards them. In his arms was the grey and lifeless shell of a fallen Autobot, of...

"Prowl..." Sari whispered.

Everybody stared in complete shock. Prowl, dead? No...it couldn't be...Optimus couldn't believe it...the strong and nature-loving cyber-ninja that had been with them for stellar cycles was...dead...?

"He gave up his spark to save us." Jazz explained, looking at Prowl.

"No..." Optimus gasped, getting up. This was too much, just...too much...

"NO!"

The scream was more terrible, because none of them had ever dreamed that Emma could scream like that. it was an anguished sound, one that broke the sparks of everybody that heard it. She stood there, her shoulders heaving with ragged breathing and sobs, and her face was ghostly pale.

Tears were streaming down her face.

"You said..." She cried, staring hard at Prowl's grey shell. "You said you'd always be there for me! You promised me you'd never leave me!" She screamed, showing more emotion in that one sentence than she ever had before.

Optimus felt terribly for her, but knew that if _he_ was, then what Jazz was feeling must be a hundred times worse. After all, he was also her spark-partner, so whatever she was feeling, he would be feeling, too. Optimus knew the 'speak-being-dragged-through-a-mincer' feeling well enough to know that he wouldn't have traded places with Emma or Jazz for _anything_.

Megatron chose that moment to attack, stating that Optimus had interfered with him for the last time!

Ratchet, thankfully, got the Magnus Hammer to his leader, and Optimus could have defeated Megatron when he had the chance, but he didn't.

Optimus looked down at Megatron, and said: "That would be the _easy_ way out, Megatron...you don't deserve it." He slapped on the stasis-cuffs.

"Uh-oh..." Sari said suddenly, and Optimus turned around fast, somehow knowing that it must have something to do with Emma.

He was right, of course. She had somehow, eerily, calmed herself down in the short time that final battle had taken place, and now she stood up, clasping her hands out in front of her as if in prayer, and there was a blue light around her.

Megatron gasped. "Angel, don't!" He cried, but he couldn't move. "Somebot _stop_ her, before she..."

"It's too late, Megatron." Emma opened her eyes, which were now the same yellow as a Transformer's optics. They were still full of tears, but her voice was steady. "This time, it really _is_ all your fault. Why couldn't you have just let things be as they were? Yes, the Autobots blamed you for what happened to my planet, but you didn't have to declare war on them...a war which fed Fhantom's very desires to create a powerful army because of all the dead Transformers." The All-Spark that Prowl and Jazz had created appeared above her, and she opened her hands. It floated to her chest. "You'll have a big battle on your hands, facing the Vampires that were born from today...Prowl and Starscream...both of them..." She shook her head. "No...I knew it was meant to be this way...but...?"

"How did you know that?" Sari asked her.

Emma swallowed, and turned to her with her Transformer eyes. "Because, in the world that I come from, Transformers are in a cartoon show." Everybody was shocked. "Everybody's personalities...much of what has happened...I knew when things were going to happen, but there was a lot I didn't know...my own role..." She looked sadly at Jazz and Prowl. "How much I would love you all...you've all done so much for me, and helped me so much...now...it's time I gave back a little bit...with the power of the All-Spark...the forbidden one..."

"No!" Megatron shouted. "Angel, please don't do it!"

"It's too late." She replied, and then her body shattered into a million shards of blue light.

Everybody shielded their eyes/optics and, when they could look again, Emma was no longer standing there.

Instead, a fem-bot straightened up, an aura billowing gently about her. Everybody was shocked.

Angel was beautiful, she was silver and gold with big, angel-like wings. There were two long black appendages at the back of her head, kind of like pigtails, and a blue stone on her forehead with a golden halo-like crown. Her bright yellow optics were calm, and full of compassion. A blue symbol glowed on her chest, as she looked at them all.

"A-Angel...?" Jazz breathed.

"Yes." She replied. She had a voice like golden wind-chimes, and it was both haunting and beautiful to hear.

Jazz was frozen in place. Had he dreamed of this day? Yes. Had he expected it to happen like this? No.

Angel walked slowly over to him, ignoring everybody else, and looked deeply into his optics.

"Jazz. I love you." She said simply, and kissed him.

The kiss was like fireworks in Jazz's body, and he knew then and there that Emma was Angel, and that Angel was Emma.

She drew back, and looked sadly down at Prowl. "It seems Primus just can't decide whether we should be together or not...my loves..." She placed her hands over Jazz's, and helped him to lower Prowl to the ground.

She then leaned down, and kissed Prowl, and a blue glow appeared around her dark grey lips. She drew back slightly, and the glow stayed around Prowl's own mouth, before spreading across his entire body and restoring its colour.

Everybody stared as this happened, and the last thing to reappear was Prowl's spark. It burned to life with a much stronger intensity than before, and his optics on-lined.

He sat up slowly, and then nearly fell back down again when he saw Angel. "It-it _can't_ be!" He cried.

Angel smiled sadly at him. "I know, Prowl. I couldn't let you die, though." She placed her forehead close to his. "I love you too much, and I'm so glad that I got to see you one last time..." She stood up, and looked around her as she stepped forwards. "To all of you...my name is Princess Angel, youngest daughter of Queen Alythia and Prince Leontide of Cybertron's sister-planet, Teramina. I thought that I was the last Teraminian, but I am not - my family were converted to Vampires by Fhantom. I ask that you try and find a cure for the Venom, when I'm not around. That's all I can ask, please." She bowed deeply.

"Wait, what do you mean?!" Sari cried.

Angel turned to her. "Sari...I was not supposed to do what I just did...I used the power of the All-Spark to bring Prowl back to life, and it is an ultimate taboo for the carrier of the All-Spark to do this. My mother told me long ago that I must not, and now I must pay the ultimate price for it."

Prowl gasped. "No, Em-Ange...please, don't!" He grabbed her hand, and Jazz grabbed the other one.

"We _need_ you!" Jazz begged her.

It was strange, hearing the two usually calm cyber-ninjas showing their emotions like this.

Angel shook her head. "I know, but it's too late...please, just take care of each other, and of my daughters..." A strange look crossed her face. "Do not...let the Vampires hurt them..." She gazed around at everybody. "Please, all of you, take care of each other...I love you all, and I thank you...so much...for giving me the chance to meet my heroes..." She turned to Jazz and Prowl, and there was such a sense of adoration and love coming from her that the two cyber-ninjas were frozen. "Especially you two...I love you." She then vanished, becoming a beam of light that shot into the sky.

_I shall right what was wronged, and use up all of my power...if I'm breaking the rules, I might as well do it properly!_

* * *

Starscream on-lined his optics, and then froze. Somebody was kissing him! And, that somebody was...

"_Angel_?" Starscream stared up at the fem above him. Yes, it was definitely Angel, but... "What _happened_?" He asked, staring in wonder at his beloved, at the femme that was his truest weakness.

"You died." She said, simply. "But, don't worry, I brought you back..." She trailed off.

Starscream gasped. "What?!" He stared at her. "No! Angel, why did you...?!"

"It's my duty, as the Princess, and as the carrier of the All-Spark, and..." She touched his face. "As the femme that loves you the most...my Prince...just don't go back to war with the Autobots, and fight the Vampires instead, okay? For me...?"

"Angel..."

"I gotta go." Angel smiled, as she began to vanish. "I've got a few more things to do...before I go...to where _he_ is..."

"Angel, no!" Starscream cried, but it was too late, and she was already gone...taking a part of Starscream's now fully beating spark with her...

* * *

Victoria and Sai sat at a table by the pool at Rinsey World, and watched as Aquilla and Audrey splashed around in the pool. They were happy, but sad as well - the twins reminded them of their own daughter, Angie. She had been named after Sideswipe's former charge, Angel, of course, and now he felt like he had failed everybody, including his own twin brother.

The Autobot warrior took a sip of soft drink, and then began choking, due to the strange feeling that was in his throat.

Victoria looked worriedly at him. "You okay, honey?" She asked him.

Sai looked at her incredulously, with his electric blue eyes. He then nodded, and said: "Victoria..." In a voice that was raspy from not being used in thousands of years.

Victoria gasped, and upset her own drink when she stood up, and flung herself at her spark-partner. "Sai! Oh, my Sai!" She cried.

"Victoria..." Sai murmured, stroking her dark red hair, and then he saw the blue light above them. it streaked across the sky, showering them with blue dust. He knew what had happened but, before he could register it, there was a small explosion of blue light nearby, and suddenly, a man was standing there. He looked like Sai, but he had more golden-blonde hair, and wore black jeans a yellow t-shirt. He had electric blue eyes.

In his arms was a fifteen month old baby with blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, and she wore a pair of blue pajamas.

Victoria gasped again, and ran to them, snatching the baby away with a cry of: "Angie! oh, my baby!" She began to cry, as she hugged her daughter close to her.

"Mamma?" Angie was confused. "I had...little nap...for long time..." She stated, blinking.

Sai, meanwhile, had grabbed the strange blonde-haired man in a hug. "Sunstreaker!" He cried. "Sunstreaker, oh my Primus, it _is_ you! Sunny!"

"_Don't_ call me Sunny!" The egotistical twin snapped, before he noticed Victoria. His spark pounded. "But, hey, maybe you could introduce me to that organic over there?"

Sai just laughed.

None of them noticed Aquilla and Audrey, who were hovering out of the water in the embrace of their Mother, whom was about to vanish again.

The young twins were in techno-organic forms, Aquilla was purple and grey and Audrey was pink and grey. They had wings, and looked like crosses between Angel and Starscream.

"My darlings...never forget that I love you...from now until the end of time, plus a day." Angel whispered. "Goodbye..."

* * *

Blackarachnia glared at Waspinator, and he glared back at her, before both of them looked up as blue dust began to fall on them. They were standing on top of the mountain in Penang, and neither of them was expecting to see the pretty silver fem-bot flying overhead.

Blackarachnia gasped softly. "A-Angel?"

Angel nodded, and a strange, warm light filled Blackarachnia's entire body. She felt the strange organic-half of her melt away and vanish, until all that was left was her former techno side.

Elita-one stood there, the gold on her plating glimmering, as she stared at her servos in shock.

Next to her, Waspinator was also staring at himself, for he was now Wasp again. He turned to Elita-One with confused, bright blue optics. "What...the slag was that?" He asked her, none of the warped-sound in his voice anymore.

"That was..." Elita-One closed her own beautiful blue optics, and rubbed them, surprised that she could still cry. "That was an Angel..."

* * *

Soundwave, in his holoform, was standing at the foot of Sumdac Tower, watching a blue light appear in front of him, and it formed many shapes.

There was the reporter, Scarlet Garcia, and an eleven-year-old school girl named Maya Walkers. Forty-two-year-old music store owner Paul Richards appeared, looking surprised, and so did...

"Melody?" Soundwave stared in shock at the pretty red-haired girl, at Melody Richards.

"Soundy!" Melody launched herself at him, as her Father looked shocked, and two more figures appeared.

One was a Japanese man, one Hiroshi Fuyano, and the other was a beautiful Indian lady named Saipriya Sumdac. They exchanged a glance, just as the doors to Sumdac Tower opened, and Isaac and Mama Fuyano walked out.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the people they were looking at.

"Hiroshi!" Mama Fuyano cried, and ran to her husband, speaking in very rapid Japanese as they embraced.

Saipriya, meanwhile, had gone up to Isaac, and they clasped hands. They didn't embrace the way the Fuyanos did, but they stared into each others eyes, looking so tenderly at each other that the others had to look away, as even more people began to appear...seventy-two of them, in total...

* * *

Emma/Angel, watching from above, nodded to herself, and muttered: "What was done, now undo...and returned to the form that's true...goodbye...everybody..."

She heard a voice calling to her, and smiled, as she was pulled into the light.

"Angel..."

"Master Yoketron..."

Angel found herself in a beautiful Japanese garden, and Master Yoketron was there. Her spark pounded inside her being - oh, how she had missed her mentor so much! She ran to him and embraced him. They stayed that way for quite some time, in that warm and comfortable place, until Angel realised something.

Her spark was still beating.

What did that mean?

As if reading her thoughts, Master Yoketron took her by the hand, and said: "My dear, sweet Angel...would you like to remember now...about your past."

She nodded. "Yes, Master. I want to remember."

Master Yoketron nodded, and led her over to a pool, which he instructed her to look into.

Angel did so, and saw her reflection for the first time in a long time. It shifted and changed, and then began to form an image, and she found herself fully immersed in the waters, as she _finally_ remembered _everything_ about her former life, as a Transformer...


	29. Angel

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

**~Parental Warning~**

This chapter contains the following, which may not be suitable for young people:

. Adult themes

. Low level animated violence

. Sexual references

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Corona Pax - thank you! That means a lot to me! Yes, it's a shame it's copy-righted! :( Okay, what will happen?!

AllSpark Princess - read and find out!

zrexheartz - thanks for the comments! Wait, and see!

WingBladeWeaver1357 - calm down! ^^ Hmm, what do you think will happen?

* * *

**More Author's Notes:**

Please read the side-story! It's called The Month Of Celebrations!

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Angel

* * *

Blue optics...those were the first things that she saw...the mech that had delivered her into the world was smiling at her...

* * *

The sparkling was crying, and why shouldn't she be? She had come into the world only a few short megacycles ago, and now she was hungry. The room above her had a high ceiling in the middle that dipped down at the edges, and a mobile with jets circles lazily over her head, though she could barely see it through the tears in her eyes. She wasn't really crying - just testing things, to see if somebot would come.

Newborn Transformers were not like newborn humans - they were born aware, and developed differently.

The afternoon sunlight streamed into the room, golden and beautiful but not as beautiful as the femme that entered the room quickly yet gracefully.

She was blue, with violet optics that held nothing but warmth and love for the sparkling that was calling to her. Said sparkling stopped crying instantly, and smiled up at her femme-creator, sensing nothing but what those optics held. Queen Alythia picked up her newborn, cradling her close to her chest plate as she sang a song that had been passed down through the royal family for generations. _An Angel's Lullaby_...it was beautiful and haunting, but all the members of the royal family liked it.

As Queen Alythia fed her daughter the special mixture of energon, she was aware of the conversation going on at the doorway. Her husband, Prince Leontide, was deep in conversation with his closest friend, Yoketron. They had much to discuss, after all.

The newborn wasn't fully aware of any of this, although her audio-receptors caught the words 'All-Spark' and then 'Angel'. She liked the words, although she wasn't sure why. She just knew that they meant something to her, and also that the Transformers in the room with her loved her very much.

* * *

A few solar cycles later, the newborn femme was named Angel, and was allowed out of the room, in the arms of either of her creators, or of Yoketron. She was carried through the halls, which were gold and red, but had mixtures of technology and nature within the decor. She couldn't really recall - she slept a lot.

She remembered being presented to the citizens of the planet - Teraminians, of Teramina, they were called - and held up high, but in a strong pair of servos that belonged to a mech that would rather die than let her go. Her Father announced, in his big, baritone voice, that this was Angel, the newborn Princess, and the carrier of the All-Spark.

This was met with cheers from those below - Angel could only make out blurry yet colourful shapes in the square below them. What _were_ all of these things? Were they like her? They _must_ be, and they must have all come to see her!

Angel gurgled happily.

Beyond the square was a sprawling landscape of city and trees and, beyond that, a mass of rolling hills. Angel looked up, and saw the blue sky, and the sun. She off-lined her optics briefly - the sun was _bright_!

* * *

Angel was with her Mother in the courtyard a few solar cycles later, when they were approached by a maid, a pretty white and dark blue femme.

"Milady," she said, sounding annoyed. "I found your two daughters drawing on the walls again." She held up the two younglings, and deposited them carefully in front of their Mother, before bowing and retreating.

"Aqua, Audacity," Alythia was disappointed. "I don't know _how_ many times I have to tell you two to behave, especially when you have an example to set for Angel."

Audacity stuck out her glossa, and crossed her bright green optics. "Who cares?" She asked, stubbornly. "All you and Daddy care about is _her_!" She glared at Angel, and then ran off, followed by her older sister, who glanced over her shoulder once before disappearing.

"You two!" Alythia called, angrily. She then sighed, and shook her head. "Oh dear...hmm?" She looked down, as Angel had just touched her arm.

The little silver femme stared up at her Mother with big yellow optics, and then looked at the spot where her sisters had disappeared, a question on her face.

Alythia understood. "Those are your sisters." She explained. "Aqua and Audacity. They love you very much, even if they don't show it."

Angel tilted her head to one side, and then became distracted by a dragonfly.

"Hey!" The dragonfly called out, cheerfully.

Angel waved to the dragonfly, but didn't say anything. Her vocal processors weren't fully online yet.

* * *

Angel learned to walk very quickly, because she wanted more than anything to catch up with her sisters, who always seemed to be everywhere, doing everything. She would try to follow them as they ran around the castle causing mischief, but they always tried to lose her.

Angel learned very quickly that her sisters were annoyed by her, and even jealous, but she didn't understand why, and so kept trying to follow them. She sensed a deep connection with them - whatever a sister was, it was supposed to be a great thing, Angel was sure of it!

One day, Angel managed to catch up to her sisters, by springing out at them from behind some curtains.

"Eek!" Aqua cried.

Audacity rolled her optics. "It's just _her_, don't worry." She glared at Angel. "What do _you_ want?"

Angel tilted her head to one side, and then smiled.

"You still can't talk yet, huh?" Aqua guessed, and Angel nodded.

Audacity sighed. "I don't see what the big deal over you is." She poked her little sister's chest plate, and Angel staggered back. "Just because you're the All-Spark...you know that's the only reason anybody likes you, right?"

Angel's face fell. What? Everybody was only nice to her because she had a 'the All-Spark', whatever one was? They didn't like her...?

Angel's shoulders sagged. Even Mamma and Pappa only liked her because of the All-Spark? They didn't like her because she was Angel?

But...no! That _couldn't_ be! Angel had a connection with Mamma and Pappa, and with Yoketron, and with her sisters, too, although it didn't seem like it! Angel just had to convince her sisters of this, somehow...

Just then, a maid could be heard shrieking and, just then, a horde of metallic rats came pouring out of the room Aqua and Audacity had just come out of. It all happened to quickly, and they were all swept up in a tidal wave...

* * *

Alythia and Leontide were _furious_, to say the least, and called Aqua and Audacity into the throne room, where they proceeded to yell at them for a few cycles, before asking sternly if either of them had anything to say for themselves.

Aqua and Audacity exchanged a glance, and then didn't say anything.

Alythia sighed. "Very well then. We've given you two _far_ too many chances. Starting tomorrow, you will be..."

"I did it!"

Everybody looked over in shock at the new voice. Angel crept out from behind some curtains, but she had her head held high, like she really wanted to do this!

"I did it." Angel repeated, speaking for the first time, ever. " I...herded all the rats in from downstairs, and put them in Miss. Mimi's room." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Everybody was shocked, but none more so than Angel - hearing herself speak for the first time ever was incredible! She wanted to speak more...her voice had a cool, melodic ring to it, and others swore to her that it was high-pitched, but she didn't know...

Aqua and Audacity were very surprised that their sister had stood up for them, and became a lot nicer to her. She was actually pretty cool, for a sparkling, and they found that the bond _did_ exist between the three of them, although they still liked to tease her at any given opportunity!

Alythia and Leontide weren't oblivious - they knew that Angel hadn't been responsible for letting in the rats. They still had to punish her, to make it look as if they believed her - she had to spend a megacycle polishing shields in the armory with Yoketron (if that could _really_ be called a punishment...wax on, wax off!). They also thought that maybe Aqua and Audacity were a little bit jealous of their sister, which they had expected, but Angel having the All-Spark just made it even more potent. So, they vowed to spend _more_ time with their other daughters, as well, and also asked Yoketron to keep an optic on their youngest...

* * *

Alythia began to train Aqua, since Aqua was the oldest and would one day inherit the throne. She still made plenty of time for Angel, and Audacity, but training Aqua became an almost full-time job. Aqua was willing to learn, and more than capable of ruling a planet. That much, despite her young age, was for certain...

Audacity, meanwhile, was becoming more and more of a trouble-maker, despite her parents trying to make more time for her. She seemed to have developed a taste for excitement and rule-breaking, and everybot had their servos full whenever she was around! Leontide, especially, was usually the one called upon when Audacity acted up to her name...

So, that was how Angel, the All-Spark Carrier but also the youngest Princess, came to rely upon Yoketron the most of all. She called him 'Master Yoketron' after a particular conversation.

"Say, you're a Master, aren't you?" Angel looked up at him with big yellow optics, after he finished telling her a story about his home-planet, Cybertron. "Aqua told me that cyber-ninja teachers are called that, so you're a Master too, right?"

Yoketron smiled gently. "Well, that may be so, but...nobot on this planet has ever called me that before..."

Angel was thoughtful...

* * *

The next solar cycle, it was Angel's first outing to the world beyond the palace gates. She was very excited to go, and was waiting in the entrance foyer for everybot to arrive. Angel was bouncing around like a fireball, exclaiming to her sisters about what she might see, and their parents smiled as they walked out to the gates, which were opened by the guards.

Angel then stopped, and looked all around, until she spotted somebot hovering in the background. She held out her servo. "Aren't you coming?" She called to him, smiling. "I can show you the outside world, okay...Master Yoketron?"

Yoketron looked surprised for a second, before his optics warmed, and he smiled, too. "I would be honored to accompany you, Milady." He walked over to them and took Angel's servo in his own.

Her smile could have lit up the entire planet.

* * *

"Angel!" Aqua called, finding her youngest sister in the garden with Yoketron, of course. Jeez, her little sister was almost _always_ with the Cybertronian. Aqua grabbed Angel's servo. "Come on!" She dragged her away. "You _gotta_ see this!"

"What is it?" Angel asked, excitedly. She could sense Aqua's excitement, and it fueled her own.

"It's Audacity!" Aqua was smiling, and it made her look beautiful - Angel and Audacity both thought that Aqua was the most beautiful of the three of them, although Alythia often told her daughters that they were _all_ beautiful.

"What about her?" Angel asked, as Aqua dragged her into the room, where seemingly everybody was. The royal family was easily distinguishable - they seemed to stand out, and carry a strong aura about them that other Teraminians didn't have.

Then, Angel saw her red sister, standing proudly in the center of a circle. Audacity spotted her sisters, grinned, and then changed. She transformed, her body shifting and morphing, until what was standing there was a big red robotic animal - a fox.

Everybody clapped.

"What's that?" Angel asked her eldest sister.

"Transforming." Aqua sounded a little bit envious, but she looked proud. "Everybody can do it."

"Why can't we do it?" Angel wanted to know.

"I dunno." Aqua replied, and this time the envy was clear in her voice...

* * *

Angel was terrifically curious about transforming after that, especially after Aqua revealed her transformation to be of a porpoise, and that enabled her to swim better than all of her family combined (this was revealed on a family outing to the lakes).

Alythia said that Angel would get there, someday.

Leontide said that it would happen, when it happened.

But, Angel couldn't help but feel that she was being left behind.

To appease her, Yoketron suggested that she learn the art of circuit-su, which he had taught back on Cybertron. Angel was willing and eager, but it was hard work. She didn't learn it all in one solar cycle, or even a stellar cycle. No, it took a long time for her to learn, but she didn't want to give up, especially after she learned that she had a powerful strength in her that needed protecting.

* * *

One day, Angel asked her Mother: "What's a spark-partner?"

Alythia choked on her energon drink, and glanced at her youngest child. "Wh-why do you ask that, sweetspark?"

"Because Aqua was talking about somebot named Shockwave," Angel said, innocently. "And, she was saying how Audacity should meet one of the Ambassadors and find _her_ spark-partner...Mamma, what's an Ambassador?"

Alythia sighed. "Okay..." She sat Angel down on her lap. "Well, the Ambassadors your sisters are talking about are from Cybertron - you remember, Yoketron's planet?" Angel nodded. "Well, they're like...representatives...uh, that is, they come to Teramina often, to find out what's going on, and things like that."

Angel was too young to fully understand about liaisons and things like that.

Angel nodded again, and then said: "Who's Shockwave?"

Alythia cringed, slightly. This was _one_ thing she wasn't too keen to face, but at least it was only Aqua, or _was_ it...?

* * *

Angel peered cautiously around the curtains (she was making a habit of this in her young age) and watched in interest as Audacity giggled at something one of the Ambassadors had said. He was kind of crazy, just like Audacity, but he seemed to have three personalities.

He suddenly noticed one of Angel's wings, and pointed. "Who's that?" He asked, with an accent.

Audacity glanced over her shoulder, and rolled her optics. "Oh, that's my baby sister, Angel..."

The Ambassador's face changed to a red and black crazy-looking one. "Ooh, isn't that cute? she was _wings_!"

Audacity cringed. "Yeah, sure...not that she can transform yet...come on, Blitzwing, let's go somewhere else..." She gave Angel a Look over her shoulder, and then left, with Blitzwing...

* * *

"Aqua?" Angel approached her eldest sister later on. She had to wait until the big Ambassador with the one red optic had left, the Ambassador that Aqua called Shockwave. She found Aqua sitting by the fountain, alone. "Is Audacity angry at me?"

Aqua looked surprised. "Why would she be?"

"Because..." Angel looked down. "Blitwing said I was...cute...because I have wings..." Angel pouted. "Audacity said I can't even transform yet."

Aqua looked thoughtful. "You know, Angel? Don't tell Audacity that I said this, but I think she might really like Blitzwing - she may have been jealous that he called you cute."

Angel looked surprised. "How come?"

Aqua laughed, and tugged one of the appendages on Angel's head. "You'll understand when you're older, little sister!" She replied, teasingly. "Just remember, a mech is not somebot to let push you around - femmes have to be strong, too!

* * *

The Ambassadors frequented Teramina - they were very well-known, and very well-liked, apparently. Angel was intrigued by them, especially by the leader, Megatron. He was big and proud and powerful-looking, and intimidatingly impressive. Angel was a little bit scared of him, but Megatron was polite, and a good friend of Leontide's. He bowed deeply to Angel, and addressed her as 'little empress'. She sensed a deep pride within him, and bowed back, respectfully.

Later on, Angel was sitting on a stone wall outside of the palace, when she was approached by a Cybertronian. She knew that he was an Ambassador from the purple symbol on his chest-plate. He was tall, purple and grey and magenta, and had a cocky smirk on his face.

Angel remembered what Aqua had said about not letting mechs push you around, and so she reacted sharply to this smug-looking mech. They then found out whom they other was - the Ambassador second-in-command and the third-in-line for the throne...

Starscream stared at Angel, and his red optics glowed. "So..." He began.

"Don't talk to me." Angel finished, and hopped off the wall and walked away.

* * *

Despite Angel's absolute borderline hostility towards Starscream, he wouldn't leave her alone after that. It was annoying! However, Angel couldn't help but like it, despite the fact that she attempted, many times, to grind Starscream into the ground using her newly-found circuit-su skills! It wasn't until a particular lunar cycle, and in fact it was Angel's spark-day, that something changed.

That was when she saw her first Vampire.

Of course, they didn't really know much about Vampires then, just rumors. All Angel knew was that she was suddenly being attacked by a savage and far more powerful being than her.

Up until then, Starscream had been somewhat whiny, but tolerant of Angel giving him a hard time (though, she would forever deny this and say that _he_ had caused _her_ a hard time!).

On the night Angel was attacked, however, Starscream showed another side of him - the powerful and fiercely protective side. He attacked the Vampire with a sudden ferocity, and brutally killed it, though it had been attempting to bite the Princess' neck, so it was a fitting end.

Angel had thrown herself at Starscream, catching him by surprise, and something definite clicked between them, even as the guards appeared and ordered Starscream away from the Princess!

"No, wait!" Angel had defended Starscream. "You _can't_ - Starscream didn't hurt me, it was the Vampire!"

They hadn't believed her - what Vampire? Where was the evidence?

"It vanished when I destroyed it." Starscream said calmly, stepping forwards and placing a servo on Angel's wing. "I'll do anything to protect Angel."

Alythia overheard this, and raised a hand, silently ordering the soldiers to stand down. She then faced the second-in-command of the Cybertronian Ambassadors, and asked him: "For what reason?"

"Because I love her." Starscream stated. He said it calmly, but there was a hint of pride in his voice, and absolute sincerity.

Angel's spark felt strange then, and she couldn't stop blinking in confusion. Starscream loved her?

* * *

But, it was true. Even as Starscream was appointed her first knight (Angel found out later that this was to keep them from engaging in any intimate activities until such a time as she was older) and word got out that Vampires existed, the littlest Princess had to wonder if it was all just a dream. Her life seemed so...great.

However, this was because she didn't know a great deal of what was going on - it was kept from her, because she was the youngest.

Angel was having way too much fun with life to let the whispers around the court get to her. And, after she learned to transform and fly, she was able to keep up with Starscream.

The other young bots stopped teasing Angel after that, and she felt better about herself.

Angel hadn't stated that she returned the Ambassador's feelings yet, but he was almost everywhere she went. He had a silver-glossa, and Angel soon learned to handle him. They had a love-hate relationship, and it amused everybody. Alythia and Leontide seemed to like Starscream, and he stayed on Teramina more than any other Cybertronian Ambassador, to be Angel's first knight.

Meanwhile, Aqua was with the intelligent yet somewhat _tsundere_ Shockwave and Audacity was with the tri-polar yet surprisingly Blitzwing.

Alythia was busy training Aqua to follow in her footsteps. Aqua was wise and calmer than she had been in the past. Everybot had high hopes for her.

Audacity was in trouble every other solar cycle, but seemed to be a Daddy's little girl. Leontide would do whatever he could to get her out of trouble.

That left Angel and Yoketron, and this was where their bond had started. Back on Teramina, when her creators were pre-occupied, and she was confused about her feelings for Starscream...Angel could _always_ turn to Master Yoketron...

* * *

Communications and alliances between Cybetron and Teramina were at an all time high. The Cybetronian Ambassadors were mostly to thank for that, keeping the bond between the two planets going.

Megatron was well-known and well-liked, although he seemed to argue with Starscream a bit, mostly about trivial things. Megatron's closest friend, however, was a mech named Coneptidec. He was hardly ever seen, but Megatron seemed to trust him. And Leontide, as Megatron's best friend from their youngling-days, didn't seem to mind...

* * *

There was, however, one thing that Alythia needed to tell her daughter.

Because Angel had the All-Spark.

Alythia's Mother, Amity, had had the All-Spark's power. It had not been passed onto Alythia, because the power skipped a generation, as the original carrier was obviously still alive. But, it was always a femme that had the power, always. Primus (the embodiment of Cybertron) was a mech, yes, but the All-Spark was feminine, because Primus' twin sister, Prisma (the embodiment of Teramina) was a femme. Angel was not named without more reason...

All of Alythia's foremothers had had their names starting with A. Her Mother, Amity, had had the All-Spark. Amity's Mother, Anina, had not. Anina's Mother, Arietty, had. Arietty's Mother, Aztec, had not. Aztec's Mother, Andromeda, had. Andromeda's Mother, Alita, had not. And, Alita's Mother, the first Queen of Teramina, Accolade, had been the first carrier of the All-Spark. She had been born from the planet itself, and had created her subjects from metal around her, placing small pieces of her spark into them to give them life. Prisma had then created the first spark-partner, for Accolade. His name had been Skyfall.

Angel, of course, had had a million and one questions, such as why did _she_ have the All-Spark and not her sisters, and things like that. Alythia had done her best to answer, but above all she had told her youngest daughter _not_ to use the full power of the All-Spark. It would do wondrous things, but Angel would die if she used it. So, she must never use it.

Alythia left Angel in the hall of portraits after this, and Angel was contemplating, and slightly scared. She had run to Master Yoketron, and sought his comfort, which he had gladly given her. She felt calm after hearing his words, and had listened to his advice, as always...

Angel had even felt confident enough to tell Starscream about it, although he, like Alythia, had forbade Angel to ever use it...

* * *

Before this, however, something terrible had happened. Teraminians had started disappearing, and of course everybot believed it to be Vampires. It would have been okay, except Aqua and Audacity went missing, one rainy night at the end of the year, and it threw the planet into disarray. Nobot knew what had happened, and Shockwave and Blitzwing especially were upset, expending precious resources to find their spark-partners, but to no avail.

Starscream stated that, as Angel's spark-partner and first knight, that he would track down her sisters no matter what. Otherwise, Angel would have to become Queen! She admitted to him that she would if she had to, and that she cared about her planet, but that she didn't feel herself ready or capable!

Starscream also wanted Angel to come with him - her first time visiting space! Of _course_ she would!

Megatron promised Leontide to take care of Angel, and Leontide trusted Megatron. The Prince called Megatron Angel's Spark-Father, whatever that meant. Shockwave stated that, if anything was to happen to Leontide, then Megatron would take care of Angel.

Oh, that made sense.

* * *

Angel spent quite a bit of time with her Father before she left, which was a first. She learned a new side to her strong and brave and handsome Father, and was very proud of him and glad to be his daughter. She would miss him, but she promised to be back, soon.

Leontide gave Starscream advice that was more like warnings, however!

* * *

They had a week to find Audacity and Aqua, which seemed like a long time but really wasn't.

Time ran out.

They did not find the missing princesses.

Angel was taken to the Space-Bridge-Nexus of a nearby planet, called Speed Planet.

"Angel..." Starscream stood close to her, and looked down at her. "_My_ Angel...I'd give up a _thousand_...no, a _million_...I'd give up _everything_ if I could stop this..._please don't go_..."

"I have to..." Angel replied, her spark pounding. "This is my planet...being a leader means you have to put your planet first..."

She turned, and walked though the Space-Bridge...

* * *

A _terrible_ sight met Angel's optics.

Blood...chaos...carnage...destruction..._darkness_...

In the short time she'd been away, Teramina had been thrown into disarray...there were the dead bodies of Teraminians lying all over the place, and it tore Angel's spark apart, even as she noticed those she knew, and sparklings and younglings...

Angel stepped out of the safety of the Tranwarp Field, and was immediately grabbed by somebot. She screamed, as she was carried off by a creature with wings. It was black, and looked like something out of a nightmare.

It carried Angel to where the castle had once stood, but now a terrible fortress stood. A figure stood on top of it.

He was more beautiful...and yet, more terrifying...than anything Angel had ever seen. Black leathery wings, a beautiful face, glittering fangs and optics as black as night...as black as a Black Hole...he was _evil_...

"Ah, my Angel..." He said, holding out a servo. "Come to me...my precious All-Spark..."

Angel stayed back, although the creature was digging its claws into her back, just between her wing blades. It _hurt_! Starscream would sometimes massage the space between her wing blades, but this was not like that at all!

"Wh-who are you?" Angel saw all of the destruction around her...what had happened?! She wanted to move...to run...to _escape_!

As if reading her processor, the black-opticed stranger said: "Do not even _dream_ of escaping...Hunter can travel across _dimensions_, and find anybot or any_thing_ I ask him to..." He chuckled. "Such is a benefit of being a Vampire, my dear..."

Angel shuddered. "Then...then you're...?"

The stranger straightened up. The moonlight seemed to shine upon him, and a cold breeze blew. "I am Fhantom, Lord of all Vampires." He bowed. "And, your destiny, Princess Angel..."

"No!" Angel snapped. "_Starscream_ is my destiny, not _you_, Vampire!" Behind her, Hunter hissed, and pushed her. Angel fell to her knees.

"Gently, my underling." Fhantom warned. "This is a delicate operation. But, Angel, surely you must wonder how I managed to break through your precious planet's outer defense systems...the schematics...that only one other had...?"

Angel gasped. "M-Megatron? B-but...?"

Fhantom chuckled. "Yes, he trusted me, the fool...he believed me to be his friend, which was his mistake. I am only interested in one thing, after all..." He looked at her. "That is _you_, Angel...and the power that you hold...the only way I will gain it is if we _merge our sparks...become ONE...interface_..."

Angel gasped, and began to shake. She knew what _that_ meant. Interfacing was supposed to be a beautiful and sacred bond between spark-mates, an extension of their relationship, and feelings of trust and love! To attempt that without the other bot's consent was considered a horrific and evil atrocity, the worst kind of crime!

Angel shook her head, and tried to get up, but Hunter held her down.

Fhantom advanced upon Angel. "My Angel...it will be alright...you will see..."

"**Coneptidec**!" A voice suddenly shouted, and Megatron appeared from out of nowhere. He attacked his so-called-friend with his cyber-sword, with more fury than a thousand solar storms!

Fhantom transformed swiftly, becoming horrific and nightmarish, and more demonic than ever...

Angel, meanwhile, had her servos full with Hunter, as lightning pierced the sky above their battles. Hunter was stronger than anything she'd ever encountered, and she was losing but, just then, Starscream showed up, and the tables were turned!

Still, Fhantom and Hunter seemed to be too powerful, and how could they win?!

The world around them had become strange around them as they had begun to fight, shapes became mere black silhouettes and the light became blurs, which only added to the panic of the battle.

This was surreal - Angel and Starscream were fighting with every ounce of their beings, but Angel was still confused as to how this had happened.

In moments, her innocent sparklinghood had been torn away, but she didn't know why, or how...

Suddenly, Creeper's claw shot out, and grabbed Angel around the throat.

"_Ah_!" She cried out, as Creeper held her there in mid-air above the tower.

Starscream gasped and looked up, helpless to do anything. Megatron stopped fighting and looked over, panic flashing across his red optics. Angel was in danger - his best friend's daughter...how could this have happened?!

Fhantom took that moment to thrust his claw into Megatron's chest-plate. It didn't kill him, but a piece of Fhantom's circuitry became entangled inside of Megatron, changing him forever. His best friend had betrayed him, though...he was _already_ changed...

"No!" Angel screamed, but she was unable to break away...

Just when nobot knew what the outcome would be, they all heard a chanting. It soothed Angel, and had no affect on Megatron and Starscream, but it was poison to the Vampires, and they howled in pain.

The chanting was coming from Master Yoketron - he was sealing Fhantom away, in a seal that was held there by one thing alone...

Yoketron's life force.

* * *

The light cleared, and Angel tried to crawl towards Yoketron, but they were both too badly injured to reach each other. Master Yoketron had also used up quite a bit of his energy to seal Fhantom away.

The Vampire Lord had been defeated, but it was too late - everything they had once known had been lost.

"M-Master!" Angel tried to call. She wanted to ask him what had happened. Where were her parents? What had happened to everybot else? How had Fhantom been able to do all this? Had he _really_ betrayed Megatron? Was he really Coneptidec?

Angel must have passed out because, when she came to, she was lying on a berth, within the Nemesis - they were far away from the ruins of Teramina.

Her reaction to waking up and not knowing where she was caused her to think she was still in the company of Vampires, and she flipped off her back in a swift spin, crouching by the wall in a defensive way, ready to fight again, but of course she didn't have to...

* * *

Starscream was there, thankfully, and so were the others - Blitzwing, Shockwave, Lugnut, Strika and Megatron...

From them, Angel learned what had happened. Fhantom had disguised himself as Coneptidec, and gained Megatron's trust by deception and deceit. He had been slowly stealing citizens from Teramina, and that included Aqua and Audacity. Whether he had killed them or something else, nobot knew. He had then stolen the schematics for Teramina's outer planetary defence systems. He had broken through in just under a megacycle, and taken another megacycle to lay waste to the planet. Nobot knew what had happened to Alythia and Leontide.

All of this was to find Angel, and make her his mate. With the power of the All-Spark, Fhantom could rule _everything_...

When Angel heard this, she broke down, sobbing into her hands. Strika, whom was closest, patted the silver femme's shoulder uncertainly.

Starscream looked angrily at Megatron. "Was it really necessary to tell her that?!" He hissed.

Without warning, Megatron struck, knocking Starscream across the room and into a wall.

Everybody gasped, and Angel ran to Starscream, quickly using her power to heal him, as Megatron addressed the room.

"Lugnut," he said coldly. "Send word to all of those still loyal to us." He glanced at Strika. "Strika, I want you to get in touch with our good friend Swindle. I believe we will need his assistance."

"What?" Angel said, from across the room. Megatron looked at her, his gaze softening ever-so-slightly. "Megatron, what happened? What do you mean 'all of those still loyal to us'?"

Megatron sighed. "Angel...Cybertron has turned on us." Angel gasped. "They blame us...that is to say, the Ambassadors and I, for what happened..."

"It can't be true!" Angel cried.

"It is..." Starscream muttered, not really minding that he was cradled up against her chest-plate. "We were attacked by an Elite Guard flagship not half a solar cycle ago..."

Angel didn't say anything to this, but just bowed her head, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead against Starscream's shoulder-plate. Their sparks beat in unison, and the tension in the room was thick...

What would become of them?

* * *

In truth, Angel would discover later, Master Yoketron had simply told the Elite Guard that Megatron had taken Angel with him, and they'd drawn their own conclusions.

Angel stayed with the Decepticons for hundreds of stellar cycles, becoming a medic and healer, and staying by Starscream's side. Whenever he would openly defy Megatron, he was punished for it, and Angel would heal him.

Everybot had noticed the changes in Megatron, but nothing could be done. He had become what he had become, and now they were at war with Cybertron. The good news was that many Cybertronians had joined them, although this was both bitter-sweet for Angel, because she was not used to a planet being divided.

It was her fault...all her fault...Starscream tried to tell her otherwise, and so did everybot else, but Angel disagreed. Everything she'd known had been lost. She could never see Master Yoketron again, that much she knew.

All she had left was Starscream, and her memories, and those were very precious, indeed...

* * *

The Vampires were all frozen in a deep sleep that would hopefully last forever, because of the seal that had been placed on their leader. Should that seal break, then it would be disastrous.

Angel could handle Megatron - he blamed himself for what had happened, and had almost stepped into the role of Leontide, which occasionally annoyed Angel. She snuck out with Starscream quite a lot. They galavanted a lot. Sometimes, Blitzwing joined them.

Meanwhile, Angel was fairly well-respected and liked by the new Decepticons - that was what Megatron had decided to call their new faction, but nobot questioned why. Megatron had changed, but they were still loyal enough to follow his commands. Some even _liked_ combat, and Angel heard a few things she didn't want to hear in the med-bay. She assisted many medics, and was occasionally referred to as 'Nurse Angel'. Despite her temper, and her honesty that border-lined on bluntness, she was admired by many mechs.

Starscream was in an overprotective-mode, constantly.

Angel didn't mind...

* * *

There came a moment, however, when things changed drastically for everybot.

It started with a routine mission, involving Angel, Starscream, Blitzwing and Lugnut. They were traveling across the universe within a relatively small sector, in a ship called The Imperium, when it happened.

"Is that a planet?" Angel questioned.

Starscream looked at the control-panel, and then out at the area in front of them. "Yes, but..." _It doesn't look healthy._

_I've never seen something like this._ Angel nodded, and all four of them stared at the planet in question, which looked like it was crumbling. It was a fairly blue planet, and had blueish-green and yellow continents. It was beautiful, but it looked like it was in _pain_...

As they watched, it shifted, and seemed to be moving apart from itself. It looked like it was..._splitting into two_...

"Are you...seeing what I'm seeing?" Angel breathed.

"Somehow..." Icy-Blitzwing responded. Then, Random-Blitzwing exclaimed: "Ooh, it's becoming _two_!"

The second planet suddenly vanished.

"Umm...what?" Starscream stared.

They all stared.

Just then, Lugnut noticed something. "Autobots off the port-bow!" He exclaimed.

The Autobots were what the Cybertronian warriors were calling themselves. The Elite Guard were of a higher rank, but still Autobots. However...

"It is the Elite Guard!" Blitzwing realised.

Starscream was about to start firing off orders, when he noticed that something was wrong with Angel. "Angel?"

"Starscream..." Angel held the sides of her head in both servos. "There's...that planet...the other planet...I have a feeling that...both will be very important places for us...I..._ah_!" A blue light appeared just around the sphere on her forehead, just as an explosion rocked the ship - the Autobots were firing on them!

"Angel!" Starscream cried.

"Starscream!" Angel screamed, just before everything went black.

* * *

When Angel came to, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. She sat up on her berth fast, and looked around, her spark pounding wildly. Where was she?! What had happened?! Where was Starscream?!

Angel suddenly sensed presences around her, and reacted accordingly. She jumped up, quickly, and was crouched by the opposing wall in a second. The familiarity of the moment shocked her, but the other bots in the room didn't recognise this.

Later, she would learn their names. Ultra Magnus, Blurr, Arcee and Jazz.

She would learn more names even _later_, like Elita-One and Flare-Up, and Optimus and Sentinel.

However, on the day she woke up on Cybertron, to begin her life as an Autobot - after she had been found by two scouts named Sunstreaker and Sideswipe - there was one important moment.

Master Yoketron was there..._her_ Master Yoketron, the memory of her former life, and the one she loved, as a guardian, above all else. She ran to him, and he embraced her, rubbing her back between her wing-blades as she sobbed against his chest-plates. This was a moment when she was thankful, more thankful than anything, to see somebot...

* * *

Life went by for Angel. She met new bots, lost close friends, and learned of the war from the Autobots' point-of-view. The Decepticons were causing devastation - how had she not seen this?

She lost Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, and Lockdown.

Elita-One and Flare-Up were her best friends. Warpath was a friend, as well, and so were Blurr and his spark-partner Arcee, and many other bots. They were Cybertronians, just like the Decepticons.

Why couldn't they just get along? Angel didn't understand!

Jazz was close to her, and Prowl became close to her, too. But, she lost them, as much as she lost Master Yoketron.

When Lockdown killed Master Yoketron, the seal around Fhantom broke, and the Vampires returned.

They took their moment. Hunter was able to find her, and bring her to where Fhantom was.

The ruins of Teramina...Fhantom was there, of course, waiting, and with him were...

Angel's family...her parents, and her sisters! No, no! They were _Vampires_! With red optics and glimmering fangs, and no sense of themselves, Angel was sure!

Fhantom was going to get what he wanted, Hunter had made sure of that. But...

Angel had one last power, the full power of the All-Spark.

She would die if she used it, but that was better than Fhantom getting the All-Spark...

Angel was calm. Somehow, her body knew what to do, and her spark began to race, galloping towards its final beat.

She knew this was okay...somehow...it would be okay...

"Protect me...Primus...Prisma...All-Spark..."

* * *

Emma kept her eyes closed, unable to open them.

"Master? _Master_?!" She screamed.

She heard Master Yoketron's voice. "You sacrificed yourself, for the good of everything...but, my dear, your life isn't over yet...they still need you...you won't die...don't give up, Angel..._Emma_..."


	30. Epilogue

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED

Grey Matter - Silver Lining

* * *

At the same time as Megatron reawakening, a girl falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her Father to let the new girl - Emma - become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and she's ESPECIALLY not saying she's from a different world! But, when the All-Spark is shattered, her origins are questioned, and her importance becomes key to the tides of the war...PxOCxJ

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY

Epilogue

* * *

Blurr walked down the hall, as quickly as he could without running. There was one bot, and one bot alone, that he wanted to see above all else right now. She was okay - she was online, and _okay_! Ratchet had said that she might not remember him entirely, but Blurr was willing to see. He had been waiting many, many stellar cycles for her...

Blurr was back. He had been the last one brought back to life by the sacrifice of the All-Spark, of the human Emma or, as some knew her to be, the Transformer Angel. Blurr was grateful, even though he was still not entirely sure what had actually happened...

On the way, Blurr passed by a room, where Optimus Prime was talking to Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Those three were some of the heroes of Cybertron, the ones that had defeated Megatron. The Decepticons were in the stockade, thanks to Optimus Prime and his crew.

Optimus was saying: "I don't know what to make of this...their disappearance..."  
"I know that they were upset about Emma's death," Bumblebee nodded. "But, why would Prowl and Jazz suddenly vanish like that?"

"Maybe they know something we don't?" Bulkhead guessed.

"Maybe..." Optimus sounded troubled. "Meanwhile, I'm still worried about things here, on Cybertron..."

Blurr continued, mostly unaffected by the conversation that he had just overheard. He had other things on his processor right now...

Blurr walked to the end of the hall, and the door opened at his presence.

Inside the room were Ratchet and Red Alert. The two medics were with their patient, Arcee.

Blurr paused at the doorway.

Arcee looked up, and her brilliant blue optics lit up in recognition and happiness. "Blurr!" She cried.

"Arcee!" Blurr rushed to her, and the two embraced.

Ratchet and Red Alert exchanged a smile. At least _one_ more set of spark-partners could be reunited...

* * *

More than an infinite amount of lightyears away, a young red-haired woman dressed all in black opened her hazel eyes in shock.

She stood on the station platform, wearing a backpack and with her arm out, checking her watch. Music was playing through ear-phones connected to an MP3 Player.

Emma Paradiso was shocked. Wasn't she just...? Or, had it just been a dream?

Emma glanced down, and saw the rings glittering on her left hand. The Autobot symbol and Decepticons symbol glittered around her neck.

It had not been a dream. Emma had been to the Transformers World, made new friends and fought enemies and fallen in love and had kids and discovered herself...

Emma was Angel, and now she was back in her own dimension, with nothing but memories of the ones she had loved, and would _always_ love, but...

Emma sank to her knees, and burst into tears...


End file.
